Microbiological monitoring of laboratory pigs

Purpose-bred minipigs, are often used as the non-rodent species in toxicology. Infections may interfere with animal experiments, and there are no scientific reasons why the non-rodent species should be of a lower microbiological quality than the rodent species. Therefore, a system for health monitoring of pigs was developed in order to raise the quality of laboratory pigs to the level of laboratory rodents. This system, which includes screening for several viruses, bacteria and ecto- and endoparasites, was used for monitoring minipigs from a barrier unit with the same standards applied to rodents units. In these pigs only rotaviruses are found, which was shown by both serological antibody detection and by detection of rotaviral antigen in faeces. In minipigs from another unit with far less hygienic protection rotaviruses were also found along with certain influenza- and coronaviruses, as well as Pasteurella spp. It is concluded, that it is possible to raise pigs of a microbiological quality comparable to the quality of rats and mice, and that advanced microbiological monitoring in pigs will reveal useful information.