Partial hydatidiform mole in a pregnant chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
Until now, the occurrence of hydatidiform mole in non-human primates has not been documented. This report presents a case in which a stillborn fetus, associated with a partial hydatidiform mole, was found at necropsy in the uterus of a pregnant chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) which had suddenly died. Hydropic swelling of the chorionic villi and proliferation of trophoblastic cells were present. The trophoblast was stained enzyme-immunohistochemically with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and pregnancy-specific-β1-glycoprotein (SP1). The concentrations of hCG and SP1 in maternal serum were high, 1,350 mIU/ml and 1,000 ng/ml, respectively. The distribution of DNA content of the cytotrophoblast in the molar villi shifted from diploid to an aneuploid pattern. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
