Taenia martis in an Alaotran gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis): The importance of molecular identification

The cestode Taenia martis is a common parasite affecting mustelids, with rodents serving as intermediate hosts. However, infections with the larval stage have seldomly been described in primates. This report describes a case in an Alaotran gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis) that died of chronic kidney disease, and in which Taenia cysticercosis was discovered at postmortem examination. Microscopic examination of the cysts attached to the mesentery and the inner side of the ribs, combined with the epidemiology of Taenia cysticercosis in France, pointed to Taenia crassiceps as the most probable aetiology. However, molecular identification, undertaken 3 years later during a global study on T. crassiceps in lemurs in France, identified the larval cestode as T. martis. This report is the first record of T. martis infection in an Alaotran gentle lemur and shows the importance of molecular identification in cysticercosis diagnosis.