Comparison of culture results from the feces and rectum of nonhuman primates with diarrhea.

Abstract

The reliability of culture results from fecal samples versus direct culture of the rectum is compared in 10 cases of diarrhea in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Of the 10 comparisons, 7 were the same; of the 3 that were not, suboptimal growth of fecal cultures on primary media plates accounted for the difference. The results suggest that rectal cultures are optimum for diagnosing bacterial causes of diarrhea, but fecal sampling may still serve as a useful alternative under certain circumstances including disease surveillance, identifying etiologies in group-housed animals, and when weighing the physiologic and regulatory ramifications of restraint.