title: A cross sectional survey for B virus antibody in a colony of group housed rhesus macaques.
abstract: A systematic sampling technique was used in combination with a highly sensitive and specific ELISA to provide unbiased age-specific prevalence estimates of B virus antibody in rhesus monkeys housed in three different outdoor breeding corrals. Among 146 sampled monkeys, 97% of animals 2.5 years and older were seropositive, while only 22% of younger animals were seropositive. Neither gender nor social dominance ranking were predictive of B virus antibody status. The strong age association was not inconsistent with hypothesized venereal transmission of B virus. Improvements in the epidemiologic understanding of B virus are necessary to assist efforts to eradicate this agent from breeding colonies of rhesus monkeys.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Weigler
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Hird
authors.forename: N W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Lerche
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Hilliard
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D006568:Herpesvirus 1, Cercopithecine / Q000276:immunology*; D006799:Housing, Animal; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008251:Macaca / Q000382:microbiology*; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D012930:Social Dominance
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral