Management of an outbreak of rat theilovirus.
Rat theilovirus is a commonly reported infection in research rat colonies. The author's institution experienced an outbreak of rat theilovirus in a breeding colony of unique outbred rats. To manage this outbreak, the institution chose to use a 'test and cull' strategy because this approach is reported to be successful in mouse colonies infected with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus, a related virus. Here the author describes the outbreak and subsequent management of rat theilovirus. The strategy successfully cleared the virus from the rat colony.
Dyson
Melissa C
MC
Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. mcdyson@med.umich.edu
D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D021461:Animals, Outbred Strains; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D018188:Cardiovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D037901:Euthanasia, Animal; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D017945:Theilovirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral