Prevalence of viral, bacterial and parasitological diseases in rats and mice used in research environments in Australasia over a 5-y period.
Viral, bacterial and parasitological infections in rats and mice used in biomedical research continue to occur despite improved housing and biosurveillance. The presence of disease in laboratory animals can lead to spurious results for research undertaken in universities, research institutes and the pharmaceutical industry. Here the authors report the results of serological, microbiological, parasitological and molecular tests done on mice and rats from Australasia submitted to a rodent health monitoring laboratory (Cerberus Sciences) from 2004 to 2009. In tested mice, norovirus was the most prevalent virus and ectromelia virus was the least prevalent virus. In tested rats, pneumonia virus of mice was the most prevalent virus and adenoviruses 1 and 2 were the least prevalent viruses. In mice, Helicobacter hepaticus was the most prevalent bacterium, and in rats, Proteus spp. were the most prevalent bacteria. The most common positive helminthological finding in mice and rats was the presence of all pinworms (including Aspicularis spp. and Syphacia spp.). The most common positive protozoan findings in mice and rats were Chilomastix spp. and Trichomonads.
Cerberus Sciences, Thebarton, South Australia, Australia. liz@cerberus.net.au
Elizabeth F
EF
McInnes
Lorna
L
Rasmussen
Peony
P
Fung
Amanda M
AM
Auld
Luisana
L
Alvarez
David A
DA
Lawrence
Morgan E
ME
Quinn
Tammy D
TD
Utteridge
Gloria M
GM
del Fierro
Bianca A
BA
Vassallo
Robert
R
Stevenson
D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D044362:Australasia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004757:Enterobius / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D044923:Helicobacter hepaticus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D051379:Mice; D029122:Murine pneumonia virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D029322:Norovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015995:Prevalence; D051381:Rats; D056919:Retortamonadidae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016834:Trichomonadida / Q000302:isolation & purification
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000914:Antibodies, Viral