BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Infectious Diseases
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1655474
This article is part of the Research TopicReviews in Pathology of Infectious Diseases - Volume IIView all 4 articles
Fatal Yellow Fever among Captive Non-Human Primates in Southern Colombia, 2025
Provisionally accepted
Ivan Camilo Sanchez-Rojas1D. Katterine Bonilla-Aldana2Catherin Lorena Solarte-Jimenez1Jorge Luis Bonilla-Aldana3Marixa Belisario-Tovar4Sidaly Ortega-Gómez4Vilma Marielis Zambrano-Quenan4Julian Camilo Perafan-Gomez4Carlos Hernan Gomez-Ocampo4Mayerly Delgado-Cajigas4
Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales5,6*- 1Instituto Tecnologico del Putumayo, Mocoa, Colombia
- 2Korea University, Seongbuk-gu, Republic of Korea
- 3Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia
- 4Corporación para el Desarrollo Sostenible del Sur de la Amazonia (CORPOAMAZONIA), Mocoa, Colombia
- 5Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Cientifica del Sur, Miraflores, Peru
- 6Grupo de Investigación Biomedicina, Faculty of Medicine, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas-Institución Universitaria Visión de las Américas, Pereira, Colombia
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Background: Yellow fever virus (YFV) remains a re-emerging zoonotic threat in South America.While epizootics in free-ranging Alouatta spp. are well-documented, little is known about YFV infection in other Neotropical non-human primates (NHPs), particularly in captive settings. Here, we report eight NHP fatalities associated with YFV occurring in early 2025, in the Colombian department of Putumayo, a known endemic area.Description: Between February and May 2025, eight fatal YFV cases were confirmed via RT-PCR in four NHP genera-Cebus albifrons, Ateles fusciceps (IUCN-endangered), Lagothrix lagotricha (vulnerable), and Aotus spp.-housed at wildlife centers or found nearby. Clinical signs included jaundice, lethargy, dyspnea, and mucosal pallor. Gross pathology revealed multisystemic involvement, with frequent hepatic necrosis, myocarditis, pulmonary edema, and severe parasitism. Histopathological examination in three representative cases identified hallmark features of yellow fever hepatitis: midzonal to centrilobular necrosis, Councilman bodies, steatosis, and sinusoidal congestion. These findings confirm fulminant YFV infection in previously undocumented captive primate hosts. Conclusions: This report presents the first evidence of natural YFV infection in C. albifrons, A. fusciceps, and L. lagotricha under managed care conditions. The presence of YFV in endangered and vulnerable NHPs has critical implications for conservation and public health. Epizootic surveillance protocols must expand beyond Alouatta spp. to include a broader range of species and captive populations. Reinforced vector control, biosafety measures, and One Health-based interventions are urgently needed to prevent spillover and enhance preparedness for future outbreaks.
Keywords: Ateles, Cebus, Lagothrix, Aotus, Flavivirus, Yellow Fever, non-human primates, Colombia
Received: 27 Jun 2025; Accepted: 12 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Camilo Sanchez-Rojas, Bonilla-Aldana, Solarte-Jimenez, Bonilla-Aldana, Belisario-Tovar, Ortega-Gómez, Marielis Zambrano-Quenan, Camilo Perafan-Gomez, Gomez-Ocampo, Delgado-Cajigas and Rodriguez-Morales. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Cientifica del Sur, Miraflores, Peru
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