Is There Any Association between Intestinal Lymphoma and Coeliac-Like Disease in Prosimians? The Case of the Ring-Tailed Lemur (<i>Lemur catta</i>)

Non-human primate species are considered as good models for human cancerresearch. Despite the relevant phylogenetic position of prosimians, few reportsof neoplastic diseases have been described in these species. The current studyinvestigated implication of an intestinal T-cell lymphoma in a 5-year-old femalering-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) hosted at Parco Natura Viva, an Italianzoological garden. First, a sub-occlusive thickening of the small bowel wasfound. Histologically, the lesion was caused by a malignant lymphoid infiltratethat was homogeneously CD3+. Moreover, inflammatory patterns peripheralto the lesion suggested a coeliac disease similar to that reported in human. Ahuge malignant lymphoid infiltrate was present also in the liver and spleen.Overall, the case suggests an etiopathological relationship between coeliac-likedisease and intestinal T-lymphoma, as reported in several human studies. Findingsfrom this study are useful to improve our knowledge on the occurrenceof the T-lymphoma as well as to improve the husbandry and dietary protocolof prosimians in zoos.