Serological evidence of pneumonia virus of mouse (PVM) infection in laboratory rats.
PVM specific antibody was determined using 3 serological tests (Parker's original hemagglutination-inhibition [HI] test, modified HI test, and indirect fluorescent antibody [IFA] test). IFA test was found to be the most sensitive method, so that IFA test was considered to be the method of choice for a small scale microbiological monitoring in animal facilities. A total of 1,280 sera including rats, mice, hamsters and rabbits were tested for PVM antibody. The prevalence of PVM antibody was 17.2% (116/674) in conventional rats and 30.0% (160/200) in SPF rats obtained from commercial breeders and research facilities. Furthermore, two samples of 144 conventional rabbits (1.4%) were showed specific antibody positive to the virus. However, hamsters and mice showed no evidence of PVM infection. These results suggest that PVM infection is prevalent, especially in laboratory rats in Japan.
Miyata
H
H
Laboratory Animal Center for Biomedical Research, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
Watanabe
Y
Y
Kondo
H
H
Yagami
K
K
Sato
H
H
D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D006224:Cricetinae; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D008647:Mesocricetus; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D010252:Paramyxoviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D010253:Respirovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral