Surveillance of mice for antibodies to murine cytomegalovirus

The sera of 256 mice from nine commercial sources were screened for antibodies to murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) because a surveillance of this virus has not been reported in the literature for over a decade. Although no evidence of antibodies to MCMV were detected by complement fixation or nuclear anticomplement immunofluorescence, 54.7% of these sera did have antibodies that were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These data emphasize the need for proper containment of laboratory mice to prevent the potential outbreak of acute MCMV infection. Including MCMV antibody surveillance by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in routine health monitoring of mice and imparting these findings in an analysis of the role of MCMV on interpretation of experimental results is advised.