A twelfth monkey has died at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens after a wave of deaths believed to be caused by an infection. The latest dead is a De Brazza’s monkey that had been isolated since mid-October when the first wave of deaths had claimed 11 other primates: each of whom was either a critically endangered cotton-top tamarin, white-faced saki, or common squirrel monkey.
It was confirmed that all the monkeys died of melioidosis, which is a type of infectious disease caused by the soil-borne bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. The bacterium is usually spread by direct contact with contaminated soil, water, or air; in this particular instance, contamination is thought to have arisen from construction work conducted near enclosures by workers who could unwittingly introduce contaminated soil on their shoes.
Autopsies concluded that the monkeys died of sepsis caused by the bacteria, with similar lesions found in the latest victim. The mammal section of the zoo was closed as well and has been cleaned and disinfected in an attempt to further prevent the bacteria’s proliferation. Other monkeys, which are symptom-free of illness at this point, have opened up a greater, general concern about zoonotic diseases, as experts present relevant examples of risks from captive animals with the spreading of dangerous pathogens, such as tuberculosis and monkeypox, towards humans.
However, melioidosis isn’t the first time that animals in Hong Kong are hit, with such cases dating back to the 1970s, now involving dolphins. Authorities remain tightlipped on the situation, trying to prevent further outbreaks.
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