Background: The successive reports of Platynosomum illiciens in Neotropical captive primates have increased interest in platynosomosis; however, its treatment is little known.
Methods: Callithrix penicillata (n = 10) naturally and chronically infected with P. illiciens were treated with praziquantel (25 mg/kg BW, three s.c. doses at 24 hours intervals), and coproparasitological tests performed over 67 days. The proportions of primates with a reduction in fecal egg counts (FEC) or negative results progressively increased after treatment, and at the last fecal tests, marmosets were negative.
Results and conclusions: Although all primates tolerated the initial days of study well, 40% (4/10) of them died between the 8th and 16th days after the onset of treatment. Clinical signs and necropsies indicated the occurrence of hepatic involvement, biliary obstruction, and cholangitis. Marmosets with a higher previous FEC were more likely to die after treatment. Use of praziquantel should be considered carefully on a case-by-case basis.
Keywords: Callithrix penicillata; Platynosomum illiciens; Neotropical primates; platynosomiasis; praziquantel; treatment.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.