Retrospective Analysis of the Squirrel Monkey’s (Saimiri sciureus) Parasitic Diseases in Two Ex Situ Conditions in the Northwestern Andes in South America

Abstract

The squirrel monkey (Cebidae: Saimiri sciureus) is a species of Neotropical primate. The increased susceptibility to the presence of parasites in these primates may be due to the ex situ conditions to which they are subjected, and where they are exposed to different environmental and managerial factors. The presence of the parasites diagnosed in these two conditions (exhibition and rehabilitation, respectively) was determined based on the medical records of a population of 94 Saimiri sciureus from the Jaime Duque Zoo (PZJD) and the Wild Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Unit (Urras), both institutions located at the northwestern part of the Andes in South America, thus establishing the possible association with age, gender, symptomatology and medicine. Histograms and chi-squared tests were used to define the parasite differences in these two places and to determine the most frequent ones in Saimi-ri sciureus. On the other hand, the limited knowledge and parasitological studies of these primates delimitate public management and hinder the establishment of possible zoonoses.