A twelfth monkey has died at Hong Kong zoo amid an outbreak of a bacterial infection that can affect both animals and humans.
Eleven other monkeys had already died in the past week due to melioidosis, when Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens confirmed late on Tuesday that a 12th had died.
Housed in five separate cages, the deceased monkeys included the De Brazza species as well as one common squirrel monkey, cotton-top tamarins and white-faced sakis.
Tests were being done on the 12th deceased monkey to find out the cause of death, and establish whether it too died of melioidosis.
Post-mortems carried out on the other 11 monkeys found a large amount of the melioidosis-inducing bacteria in their organs.
The bacteria likely came from soil near the monkeys habitat, authorities said.
Workers who were digging up soil near their cages were believed to have brought in contaminated soil through their shoes, Hong Kong's Culture, Sports and Tourism Secretary told local broadcaster RTHK.
The zoo, built in 1860 and located just above the city’s financial centre, is the oldest park in Hong Kong.
Its mammals centre has been shut since October 14, when the first monkey deaths were reported.
The government said it would continue to close the section and provide protective gear and health monitoring for staff taking care of the animals.
"The health conditions of the 78 mammals are normal," the Leisure and Cultural Services Department said.
Melioidosis spreads through contact with contaminated soil, air or water. It can be treated with antibiotics.
The risk of the infection spreading to humans is "fairly low", said Dirk Pfeiffer, a veterinary epidemiologist at the City University of Hong Kong.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says: “Melioidosis has a wide range of signs and symptoms.
“You usually develop symptoms of melioidosis within one to four weeks after you've been exposed to it. Some cases have developed symptoms months or years after exposure.
“The disease can affect one body system or affect the entire body. Because of these factors, melioidosis is hard to diagnose and may be mistaken for other diseases.
“Sometimes the illness is just in one area (localised), and it may look like an ulcer or skin sore. You might have a fever, swelling, and muscle aches.
“Most often, melioidosis shows up as a lung infection. You might have a cough, chest pain, high fever, headache, and you might not feel like eating.”
Melioidosis can cause problems with the liver, spleen, prostate, joints, bones, lymph nodes, skin, or brain, and can lead to sepsis.
