Using Sterile Flocked Swabs as an Alternative Method for Rodent Health Monitoring.

ABSTRACT: Routine health monitoring is an integral part of managing SPF rodent colonies. In recent years, rack-level environmental sampling has been introduced as an adjunct method or replacement for exposure of sentinel rodents to soiled bedding. However, rack-level environmental monitoring is not compatible with rodent housing systems that have cage-level filtration. The current study investigated whether exposure of sterile flocked swabs to soiled bedding can be an alternative sampling method for routine health monitoring in mice, thus replacing the use of sentinels in soiled-bedding cages. Flocked swabs were placed in cages containing pooled samples of soiled bedding but no mice; swabs remained there for 90 d, with weekly agitation and biweekly swabbing of the cage floor to mimic the agitation o

SUBMITTER: Varela MMD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9674010 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature