Pathology of Schistosoma haematobium infection in the capuchin monkey (Cebus apella)

Abstract Capuchin monkeys exposed to 500–2000 Schistosoma haematobium cercariae were followed for up to 6 1 2 years after infection. Worm burdens decreased as infections became more chronic and decreasing numbers of eggs and active circumoval lesions were found in the bladder and elsewhere. Nodular and hyperplastic epithelial lesions of the urinary bladder were not seen during the first year of infection but occurred in 30% of monkeys examined 1–2 years after infection and in 23% of those examined between the second and third years; they were present in only 3% of monkeys studied 3–6 1 2 years after infection. These epithelial proliferative lesions were located near foci of egg deposition and occurred in the monkeys with the most intense active lesions in the bladder. The lesions regressed in animals followed sequentially. The lesions thus appear not to be neoplastic. Obstructive lesions of the ureter accompanied by hydronephrosis were present in a few animals. The obstructive uropathy did not appear to cause significant morbidity. Mortality was substantial among infected monkeys at most intervals after infection but was rare among uninfected controls.