Spontaneous chronic T-cell leukemia in a male rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)

Abstract

Blood smears from a 24-year-old male rhesus macaque ( Macaca mulatta) used for cognitive function studies were evaluated. The macaque had an 8-month history of gradual weight loss and increasing lymphocytosis. Most of the lymphocytes present were small to medium and had a mature morphology. Based on the degree and duration of the lymphocytosis, and the appearance of the lymphocytes, a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia was made. The animal tested negative for 4 viral diseases that are commonly associated with lymphoproliferative disorders in Old World monkeys. Over the course of 12 months, the lymphocytosis progressed from 18.4 to 384 × 103 lymphocytes/µl (reference range: 0.8–17 × 103 cells/µl), and euthanasia was elected. On histologic examination, cluster of differentiation (CD)3- and CD8-positive, CD79-negative neoplastic cells comprised 40–60% of the bone marrow, diffusely obscured the normal splenic architecture, and were present in the vascular channels in other organs. Findings were characteristic of T-cell lymphocytic leukemia. Naturally occurring T-cell lymphocytic leukemia has been rarely reported in rhesus macaques and, to the authors’ knowledge, never in males. A persistent lymphocytosis characterized by a monomorphic population of CD3- and CD8-positive cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and the presence of neoplastic cells in the bone marrow led to a diagnosis in the current case.