GONGYLONEMA MACROGUBERNACULUM IN CAPTIVE AFRICAN SQUIRRELS (FUNISCIURUS-SUBSTRIATUS AND XERUS-ERYTHROPUS) AND LION-TAILED MACAQUES (MACACA-SILENUS)

Necropsies performed between 1989 and 1995 on 15 African rope squirrel s (Funisciurus substriatus) and 20 African ground squirrels (Xerus ery thropus) from the Baltimore Zoo revealed 13 cases of gongylonemiasis. Nematodes were embedded in the epithelium of the esophagus, pharynx, b uccal mucosa, and tongue, resulting in varying degrees of esophagitis, pharyngitis, stomatitis, and glossitis, respectively. Routine fecal e xaminations were negative, and the nematodes appeared to be unaffected by repeated treatments with ivermectin. Most of the affected animals had shown clinical signs of dyspnea and/or inanition and emaciation. S uppurative rhinitis was also a frequent finding at necropsy and was as sociated with the presence of the nematodes in eight animals. Dissecti on of whole nematodes from formalin-fixed specimens revealed morpholog ic features consistent with Gongylonema macrogubernaculum, a species p reviously only reported in nonhuman primates. The squirrels were house d in the same building with numerous primate species, and a review of pathology records revealed esophageal gongylonemiasis in three lion-ta iled macaques (Macaca silenus), lingual gongylonemiasis in a spotnose monkey (Cercopithecus buettikoferi), and buccal gongylonemiasis in a b rown-headed tamarin (Saguinus fuscicollis). Examination of whole nemat odes dissected from one of the lion-tailed macaques also demonstrated the unique morphology of G. macrogubernaculum. Nematodes belonging to the species Gongylonema are acquired by ingestion of the intermediate host, the cockroach. This is the first report of G. macrogubernaculum in a nonprimate species and suggests that captive African squirrels ca n serve as reservoir hosts for this parasite in a zoo environment.