title: Surveillance of mice for antibodies to murine cytomegalovirus.
abstract: The sera of 256 mice from nine commercial sources were screened for antibodies to murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) because a surveillance of this virus has not been reported in the literature for over a decade. Although no evidence of antibodies to MCMV were detected by complement fixation or nuclear anticomplement immunofluorescence, 54.7% of these sera did have antibodies that were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These data emphasize the need for proper containment of laboratory mice to prevent the potential outbreak of acute MCMV infection. Including MCMV antibody surveillance by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in routine health monitoring of mice and imparting these findings in an analysis of the role of MCMV on interpretation of experimental results is advised.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice / Q000276:immunology*; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000276:immunology; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral