Intracranial lymphomas in simian retrovirus-positive Macaca fascicularis

Two young adult Macaca fascicularis each had unilateral mydriasis and ptosis. Both animals were euthanatized, monkey No. 1 for progressive neurologic signs and monkey No. 2 because of a positive intradermal tuberculin test. At necropsy, each animal had a single intracranial mass on the ventral surface of the midbrain, surrounding the oculomotor nerve. Histologically, both masses were immunoblastic lymphomas. Immunohistochemical staining revealed the neoplasms to be of B-cell origin. Simian retrovirus (SRV) was isolated from both monkeys, but simian immunodeficiency virus was not found. Both animals lacked antibody to SRV. Both animals had antibodies to Epstein-Barr-like virus (EBV), but EBV antigens were not found by immunohistochemistry. Polymerase chain reaction analysis for integrated EBV DNA was unproductive. One of the animals (monkey No. 2) had a pulmonary infection with Mycobacterium avium, suggesting that immunosuppression was present. These cases represent a unique and previously undescribed type of solitary lymphoma in SRV-infected macaques.