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Diagnosis of Ecto- and Endoparasites in Laboratory Rats and Mice
Published on: September 6, 2011
Contemporary prevalence of infectious agents in laboratory mice and rats
Kathleen R Pritchett-Corning1, Janice Cosentino, Charles B Clifford
1Research Animal Diagnostic Services, Charles River Laboratories, Domaine des Oncins, BP 0109, 69592 L'arbresle Cedex, France. kathleen.pritchett@crl.com
Abstract:
Periodic health screening of rodents used in research is necessary due to the consequences of unwanted infections. One determinant of the risk of infection for any given agent is its prevalence; other factors being equal, a prevalent agent is more likely than a rare one to be introduced to a research facility and result in infection. As an indicator of contemporary prevalence in laboratory populations of rats and mice, the rate of positive results in the samples received at a major commercial rodent diagnostic laboratory was compiled for this paper. Although samples from laboratory rodent vendors have been excluded, results are tabulated from samples from more than 500,000 mice and 80,000 rats submitted over several years from pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic, and governmental institutions in North America and Europe, allowing meaningful determination of which agents are common in the research environment versus which agents are rare. In mice, commonly detected infectious agents include mouse norovirus, the parvoviruses, mouse hepatitis virus, rotavirus, Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus, Helicobacter spp., Pasteurella pneumotropica, and pinworms. In rats, commonly detected infectious agents include 'rat respiratory virus', the parvoviruses, rat theilovirus, Helicobacter spp., P. pneumotropica, and pinworms. A risk-based allocation of health-monitoring resources should concentrate frequency and/or sample size on these high-risk agents, and monitor less frequently for the remaining, lower-risk, infectious agents.
Insights
Periodic health screening of research rodents is crucial. This study identifies common infectious agents in mice and rats, guiding resource allocation for health monitoring programs to focus on high-prevalence pathogens.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Pathology
- Laboratory Animal Science
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Background:
- Unwanted infections in research rodents pose significant risks to study integrity and animal welfare.
- Understanding the prevalence of infectious agents is key to developing effective health monitoring strategies.
- Rodent health surveillance is essential for maintaining reliable research models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the contemporary prevalence of infectious agents in laboratory mice and rats.
- To identify common versus rare pathogens circulating in research animal populations.
- To inform risk-based allocation of resources for rodent health monitoring.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of diagnostic laboratory data from over 500,000 mice and 80,000 rats across North America and Europe.
- Exclusion of samples from primary rodent vendors to reflect infections within research facilities.
- Tabulation of positive results for various infectious agents over several years.
Main Results:
- Commonly detected agents in mice include mouse norovirus, parvoviruses, mouse hepatitis virus, rotavirus, Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus, Helicobacter spp., Pasteurella pneumotropica, and pinworms.
- Commonly detected agents in rats include rat respiratory virus, parvoviruses, rat theilovirus, Helicobacter spp., P. pneumotropica, and pinworms.
- Significant variation in prevalence was observed among different infectious agents.
Conclusions:
- Health monitoring resources should prioritize high-prevalence agents like mouse norovirus and Helicobacter spp. in mice, and rat respiratory virus and Helicobacter spp. in rats.
- A risk-based approach to health surveillance optimizes resource allocation and enhances the effectiveness of rodent health programs.
- Regular monitoring of common pathogens is essential for safeguarding research integrity.
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