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From superficial infections to systemic mycoses: the spectrum of fungal diseases in non-human primates

Shuang Guo1-4, Yinggai Song1-4#, Sybren de Hoog2,5,6, Amir Seyedmousavi7, Jacques Guillot8,9


1Department of Dermatology and Venerology, Peking University First Hospital; Beijing, China; 2Research Center for Medical Mycology, Peking University, Beijing, China; 3National Clinical Research Center for Skin and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Beijing, China; 4Beijing Key Laboratory of Innovative Clinical Research and Translation in Skin Diseases, Beijing, China; 5Center of Expertise for Mycology, RadboudUMC / Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; 6Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands; 7Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, U.S.A.; 8Department of Dermatology, Parasitology and Mycology, Oniris VetAgroBio, Nantes, France; 9Univ Angers, Univ Brest, IRF, SFR ICAT, Angers, France

Abstract


Mycoses in non-human primates (NHPs) are uncommon but encompass a broad range of diseases, from superficial dermatomycosis to severe, sometimes fatal, systemic infections such as cryptococcosis and coccidioidomycosis. This review brings together reported cases across prosimians, New-World and Old-World monkeys, and apes, highlighting the diversity of pathogenic fungi and clinical presentations. Opportunistic infections predominate and are often associated with concurrent disease or impaired immune function, whereas endemic mycoses occur in primates living in areas where the causative fungi are present. Recent studies have also shown that healthy NHPs harbour diverse fungal communities on the skin, mucosal surfaces and in the gastrointestinal tract, with differences related to host characteristics and environmental conditions. Diagnosis generally relies on a combination of clinical examination, imaging, histopathology, fungal culture and, increasingly, molecular methods. Treatment remains challenging because published experience is largely limited to individual cases, although successful management has been reported for several infections. Because of their close evolutionary relationship with humans and their exposure to shared environmental fungal reservoirs, NHPs provide valuable insights into fungal diseases at the interface between animal, human and environmental health.

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#Correspondence:
jacques.guillot@oniris-nantes.fr,
syg3515@163.com

Article info:
Received 25 August 2026
Revised 13 September 2026
Accepted 15 September 2026
Appeared online 23 September 2026
One Health Mycology 3(2): 152-160, 2026 doi.org/10.63049/OHM.26.32.4
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Cite this article:

Guo S, Song Y, de Hoog S, Seyedmousavi S, Guillot J 2026. From superficial infections to systemic mycoses: the spectrum of fungal diseases in non-human primates. One Health Mycology 3(2), 152-160

Keywords:
non-human primates; mycoses; opportunistic infections; diagnosis; treatment

Article highlights:

  • Non-human primates are susceptible to a wide range of mycoses. 
  • Opportunistic mycoses are described, but endemic fungal diseases also occur in local populations.
  • Healthy primates harbour diverse fungal communities influenced by host and environmental factors.
  • Diagnosis and treatment are still largely based on individual clinical cases.