University of Virginia Health System

Sentinel Program for Rodent Colonies at University of Virginia

Our sentinel program consists of placing an uncovered box of mice (or rats) in each room. These sentinel animals receive dirty bedding from a portion of other mouse (or rat) boxes in the room during routine cage changes. The source of dirty bedding for the sentinels is rotated so that over a one-month period many cages have been sampled. When practical, the box is placed on a lower shelf and closer to the room exhaust to maximize airflow exposure.

Quarterly, a sentinel mouse (or rat) is removed from each room and is humanely euthanized for serologic evaluation, examination of pelage for furmites, and examination of cecal contents for pinworms. The serologic assays, conducted in-house using Charles River reagents, are MHV, EDIM, GD-7, MVM, MPV, M. pulmonis, Sendai, and PVM (Sendai, PVM, RPV/ KRV/H-1, M. pulmonis, and SDAV for rats). In the final quarter, a comprehensive serology is run which includes the above agents plus K-virus, MCMV, MTV, LCM, Ectromelia, Polyoma, Reovirus-3, and mouse adenoviruses (K87 and FL).  Since October 2006, Comparative Medicine has also been testing for Mouse Norovirus (MNV) on a quarterly basis. Additional tests run for rats include Reo3, LCM, Tyzzer’s, and CARB.  Routine bacteriology and histopathology are not currently performed. Helicobacter bilis and hepaticus are tested by PCR upon investigator request.

The following schedule is currently followed for testing of the various vivaria.