title: Prevalence of murine Helicobacter spp. Infection is reduced by restocking research colonies with Helicobacter-free mice.
abstract: Most academic research colonies of mice are endemically infected with enterohepatic Helicobacter spp. (EHS). We evaluated EHS prevalence in surveillance mice before and after a 10-y period of requiring that imported mice be free of EHS by embryo transfer rederivation or purchase from approved vendors. In 2009, composite fecal samples from CD1 surveillance mice representing colony health in 57 rooms located in 6 facilities were evaluated for EHS infection by using PCR assays. Fecal samples were screened with primers designed to detect all known EHS, and positive samples were further assayed by using primers specific for H. hepaticus, H. bilis, H. rodentium, and H. typhlonicus. Most EHS were detected in surveillance mice within the first month of dirty bedding exposure, with prevalence ranging from 0% to 64% as monoinfections or, more commonly, infections with multiple EHS. Compared with 1999 prevalence data, EHS remained endemic in colonies importing the lowest number of EHS-free mice. EHS were absent or the prevalence was greatly reduced in colonies receiving the highest percentage of EHS-free mice. This study demonstrates that the management decision to require exclusive importation of EHS-free mice reduced EHS prevalence on an institutional scale without intensive labor and expense associated with other techniques or interference with research objectives.
authors.affiliation: Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer Ls
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lofgren
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esmail
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mobley
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McCabe
authors.forename: Nancy S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Zeli
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erdman
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hewes
authors.forename: Mark T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Whary
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Fox
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory / Q000382:microbiology*; D001512:Bedding and Linens / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D016998:Helicobacter / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D006799:Housing, Animal; D051379:Mice; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012106:Research; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial