Evaluation of Direct Colony Sampling Compared with Sentinel-Free Soiled Bedding Testing for Murine Quarantine...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Health Monitoring
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Sentinel-free soiled bedding (SFSB) offers a less invasive alternative to direct colony sampling (DCS) for rodent health surveillance.
• SFSB can detect both active and past infections, aligning with the principles of refinement in animal research.
• Current quarantine health monitoring protocols often rely on DCS, which can be time-consuming and stressful for animals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of SFSB and DCS for pathogen detection during a 14-day rodent quarantine period.
• To evaluate the time efficiency of SFSB compared to DCS through a time and motion study.
• To determine the optimal sampling time point for SFSB during quarantine.

Main Methods:

• Eleven shipping containers with mice underwent simulated shipping stress and a 14-day quarantine.
• Direct colony sampling (DCS) involved oral swabs, pelt swabs, and fecal pellets collected on days 0 and 7.
• Sentinel-free soiled bedding (SFSB) samples were collected on days 0, 7, and combined (days 0 and 7).

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences in pathogen detection were found between the three SFSB sampling time points (day 0, day 7, combined).
• SFSB demonstrated comparable pathogen detection sensitivity to DCS, particularly when comparing DCS day 7 samples with combined SFSB samples.
• Sentinel-free soiled bedding (SFSB) sampling required significantly less time to perform than direct colony sampling (DCS).

Conclusions:

• Sentinel-free soiled bedding (SFSB) sampling is a viable and efficient method for quarantine health monitoring in rodent colonies.
• SFSB offers similar diagnostic sensitivity to DCS while being a refinement and providing time-saving benefits.
• The adoption of SFSB sampling should be considered for enhancing quarantine health monitoring programs.