Herpes Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Herpes, including details on herpes simplex virus (hsv), genital, oral, symptoms, treatment.

Herpes B-virus seroreactivity in a colony of Macaca mulatta: data from the Sabana Seca Field Station, a new specific pathogen-free program.

Sariol CA, Arana T, Maldonado E, Gerald M, Gonzalez-Martinez J, Rodriguez M, Kraiselburd EN

Caribbean Primate Research Center, Unit of Comparative Medicine, University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR 00936, USA. csariol@rcm.upr.edu

The demand for B-virus-free animals for biomedical research is increasing, while at the same time the availability of such animals is decreasing. The establishment of Specific Pathogen-Free (SPF) breeding macaque colonies is a priority of the National Institutes of Health. Nevertheless, it is well known that seroreactivity to B-virus can be difficult to interpret, particularly as it can vary over time in a single animal. The aim of the present study was to implement a reliable algorithm to examine B-virus reactivity among the rhesus monkey population of the Caribbean Primate Research Center. The sensitivity and specificity of our assay were determined using reports from two different laboratories as references. Whereas 95.4% of animals showed consistent serological status and 4.6% of animals recruited to this SPF program showed serovariability to B-virus over the initial 2 years of examination. Implications for all SPF programs are discussed in this article.

Published 25 January 2005 in J Med Primatol, 34(1): 13-9.
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