{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,26]],"date-time":"2025-12-26T08:55:46Z","timestamp":1766739346330,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]],"date-time":"2025-12-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766361600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Tetanus is a life-threatening neurological disease affecting vertebrate species, including primates. Here, we present a case of severe generalized tetanus in a juvenile male chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) that was rescued from the illegal wildlife trade and admitted to a rehabilitation center in the Republic of Congo. Upon arrival, the chimpanzee presented with deep, contaminated constrictive wounds, trismus, generalized rigidity, and stimulus-induced tonic spasms accompanied by transient apnea, while remaining conscious. A presumptive clinical diagnosis was made, after which integrated care began immediately. This included meticulous wound debridement and irrigation, passive immunization with antitoxin, initiation of active immunization, metronidazole with adjunctive penicillin G, diazepam-based spasm control, multimodal analgesia, and low-stimulation nursing with oxygen supplementation, enteral nutrition, and temporary urinary catheterization. Aerobic wound culture yielded mixed flora, and a Gram stain of the feces showed large Gram-positive rods with terminal spores. Hematology tests revealed leucopenia with neutropenia and severe thrombocytopenia. The spasms ceased by day 5, at which point the diazepam dose was reduced and oral intake was increased. By week 8, he had made a full clinical recovery and was successfully reintegrated into his group. This case supports the use of pragmatic, sanctuary-adapted protocols and systematic vaccination.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci13010013","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]],"date-time":"2025-12-22T16:19:26Z","timestamp":1766420366000},"page":"13","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Severe Generalized Tetanus in a Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Under Human Care: A Case Report from the Republic of Congo"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0736-8791","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Manuel","family":"Fuertes-Recuero","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9491-5572","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Juan A.","family":"De Pablo-Moreno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Villaviciosa de Od\u00f3n, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4935-3013","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luis","family":"Revuelta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Debby","family":"Cox","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jane Goodall Institute Congo, Pointe-Noire, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"John","family":"Debenham","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Postbox 8146 Dep., 0033 Oslo, Norway"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0198-194X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pablo","family":"Mor\u00f3n-Elorza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s\/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Fundaci\u00f3n Oceanogr\u00e0fic de la Comunitat Valenciana, 46013 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-1299-2592","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Javier M.","family":"De Pablo-Moreno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rebeca","family":"Atencia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jane Goodall Institute Congo, Pointe-Noire, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Humle, T., Maisels, F., Oates, J.F., Plumptre, A., and Williamson, E.A. (2025, October 01). Pan troglodytes. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 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