Spontaneous gastric ulcers in a rhesus monkey

Spontaneous gastric ulcers and erosions were seen at necropsy of an adult male rhesus monkey from a laboratory colony. Antemortem findings include progressive weight loss, anorexia, and microcytic, hypochromic anemia. It is suggested that spontaneous gastric ulceration is not uncommon in nonhuman primates that are held in laboratory animal colonies. This observation indicates that “experimental” production of gastric ulcers in rhesus monkeys may in fact be unrelated to the experimental procedure. On the other hand, these animals may represent a source of naturally occurring models of human gastric ulceration.