Volume 4, Number 1—March 1998
Dispatch
B-virus from Pet Macaque Monkeys: An Emerging Threat in the United States?
Table 1
Selected pet macaque bite casesa,b
| Location |
Primate species, age, B-virus status |
Nature of exposure |
Comments |
| Illinois | Rhesus, 20+ yrs, B-virus positive Cynomolgus, 2-4 yrs, B-virus negative | Household contact (2 adults/3 children), bites, scratches (2 adults) | Bought at auction, wife bitten multiple sites, children hand-fed monkey |
| Florida | Cynomolgus, 2 yrs, B-virus positive | Household contact (1 adult), bite (1 child) | Kissed on lips, ate off owner's plate, shared bed |
| Arizona | Cynomolgus, 2 yrs, B-virus negative | Bites on toe and buttock (child) | Unprovoked attack on neighbor, declared vicious animal by judge, no. of household contacts (owner) unreported |
| Cynomolgus, 7 weeks, B-virus positive | Household contact (6 adults), bite on face (1 adult) | Diapered, shared chewed gum, oral ulcers noted by veterinarian, bite incident at neighborhood bar | |
| Macaque, (species undetermined), 2 yrs, B-virus status unknown | Bite on thigh (1 child) | Unprovoked attack (climbed fence to bite child) | |
| Macaque, (species and age undetermined), B-virus status unknown | Severe bite (1 child) | Injured child attended an unlicensed day-care facility run by monkey owner, 7 other monkeys on premises | |
| Minnesota | Rhesus, 2 yrs, B-virus positive | Household contact, owners' friend bitten | Acquired as "child-substitute" (full-time baby-sitters hired) |
aCases referred to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since 1993.
bAs of November 1997, no confirmed transmission of B-virus in these persons has been documented.
