Microbiological Control of Murine Viruses in Biological Materials: Methodology and Comparative Sensitivity A review

Abstract

Introduction of microbiologically contaminated materials into mice can cause infections and distort  research results. As counter measures, biological materials should be routinely screened prior to use, ideally  by specific, sensitive, and reliable diagnostic methods. In this overview, we present a description of the  currently used detection methods for murine viruses, including virus isolation in cell culture, the mouse  antibody production (MAP) test, infant mouse bioassay and the PCR, that are relevant to routine health  monitoring and summarize available data on their comparative sensitivities. Current diagnostic trends  toward increased use of in vitro methods, apart from providing sensitive and specific results, contribute to  refinement, replacement and reduction of the use of laboratory animals.