Granulomatous Nephritis Consistent with Malakoplakia in a Cynomolgus Monkey

Malakoplakia is a rare form of chronic granulomatous inflammation in mammals, and usually affects the urinary tract in humans. In this report, we present a case of granulomatous nephritis consistent with malakoplakia in a 4-year-old male cynomolgus monkey. Gross examination showed that the kidney was markedly enlarged and adhered to the surrounding organs. Histology showed that there was diffuse interstitial infiltration of histiocytes with abundant foamy eosinophilic cytoplasm resembling von Hansemann cells, PAS-positive granular cytoplasm and occasional PAS- and iron-positive intracellular small inclusion bodies. Electron microscopy showed that these histiocytes contained abundant lysosomes and phagolysosomes but no obvious Michaelis-Gutmann bodies. Based on these findings, a diagnosis of granulomatous nephritis consistent with early malakoplakia was made. This is the first report in a monkey of a renal lesion consistent with malakoplakia.