First Record of Paragonimus miyazakii Infection in Captive Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) in Japan

Abstract

　 We report a case of paragonimiasis in a captive mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) in a zoo in Kochi Prefecture, Japan. At autopsy, five adult flukes were detected from cysts formed in the lungs of the animal. The flukes were identified as Paragonimus miyazakii on the basis of morphological features of the adults and eggs in the feces. The ribosomal DNA sequence also corroborated this identification. The mandrill was possibly infected through the ingestion of the Japanese freshwater crab (Geothelphusa dehaani) wandering into the place of breeding exhibition. This is the first confirmed case of natural infection with P. miyazakii in non-human primates in Japan.