PCR testing of a ventilated caging system to detect murine fur mites. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2013 Jan;52(1):28-33
Date
04/09/2013Pubmed ID
23562030Pubmed Central ID
PMC3548198Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84873144455 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 49 CitationsAbstract
Rodents housed in microisolation caging are commonly monitored for infectious agents by the use of soiled bedding sentinels. This strategy relies on the successful transmission of rodent pathogens from the index rodents via soiled bedding to sentinel cages and the subsequent infection or colonization of sentinel rodents. When the prevalence of a pathogen is low or the target agent is not readily transmitted by soiled bedding, alternative testing methodologies should be used. Given the continued prevalence of institutions self-reporting murine fur mites and with the advent of a new sensitive and specific PCR assay for mites, we sought to determine whether the exhaust system of an individual ventilated caging (IVC) system could be used for monitoring the rack's rodent population for mites rather than relying on the responses of sentinels. We deployed single cages of mice (Mus musculus) that were known to be infested with either Radfordia affinis or Myobia musculi on a 70-cage rack, sampled the horizontal exhaust manifolds weekly, and used the new PCR assay to test these samples for mite DNA. We detected the presence of fur mites at a 94.1% probability of detection within 4 wk of placement. Therefore, we recommend swabbing and testing the shelf exhaust manifolds of IVC racks rather than relying on soiled-bedding sentinels as an indicator of the mite status of the rodents on that rack.
Author List
Jensen ES, Allen KP, Henderson KS, Szabo A, Thulin JDAuthors
Kenneth Paul Allen DVM Associate Professor in the Research Office department at Medical College of WisconsinEric S. Jensen DVM Associate Professor in the Research Office department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Aniko Szabo PhD Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Joseph Thulin DVM Assistant Provost, Professor in the Research Office department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Animal WelfareAnimals
Housing, Animal
Mice
Mite Infestations
Mites
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Rodent Diseases