Risk-based immunization policies and tuberculosis screening practices for animal care and research workers in the United States: survey results and recommendations.

A national survey was conducted to assess immunization practices and tuberculosis screening methods for animal care and research workers in biomedical settings throughout the United States. Veterinarians (n = 953) were surveyed via a web-based mechanism; completed surveys (n = 308) were analyzed. Results showed that occupational health and safety programs were well-developed, enrolling veterinary, husbandry, and research staff at rates exceeding 90% and involving multiple modalities of health assessments and risk communication for vaccine-preventable diseases.

Transmission probabilities of mouse parvovirus 1 to sentinel mice chronically exposed to serial dilutions of contaminated bedding.

Intermittent serodetection of mouse parvovirus (MPV) infections in animal facilities occurs frequently when soiled bedding sentinel mouse monitoring systems are used. We evaluated induction of seroconversion in naïve single-caged weanling ICR mice (n = 10 per group) maintained on 5-fold serially diluted contaminated bedding obtained from SCID mice persistently shedding MPV1e. Soiled bedding from the infected SCID mice was collected, diluted, and redistributed weekly to cages housing ICR mice to represent chronic exposure to MPV at varying prevalence in a research colony.

Intussusception in canine recipients of hematopoietic cell grafts and surgical correction.

Intussusception is a common complication after canine hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The present study was undertaken to evaluate predisposing factors of intussusception and to test whether intussusception can be managed surgically during the period immediately after HCT. We determined the incidence of intussusception after HCT was performed in 325 canine recipients (autologous, n = 43; allogeneic, n = 282) during the interval from January 2002 to May 2005.

Use of multigeneration-family molecular dog leukocyte antigen typing to select a hematopoietic cell transplant donor for a dog with T-cell lymphoma.

Case Description: A 7-year-old Golden Retriever was examined because of anorexia, lethargy, vomiting, and gradual weight loss.

Clinical Findings: Splenomegaly, pancytopenia, high serum calcium concentration, and high alkaline phosphatase activity were detected. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an enlarged mesenteric lymph node and increased signals from the bone marrow of the ilium and vertebral bodies.

A national survey of laboratory animal workers concerning occupational risks for zoonotic diseases.

In this cross-sectional survey of laboratory animal workers in the United States, 23 of 1367 persons reported 28 cases of infection with zoonotic agents from research animals at their workplace during the past 5 years, with six persons indicating that their infections were medically confirmed. Based on these data, the annualized incidence rate for work-related transmission of zoonotic agents from laboratory animals was 45 cases per 10,000 worker-years at risk (95% confidence interval, 30 to 65 cases), approximating the rate for nonfatal occupational illnesses in the agricultural production-livestock industry and for those employed in the health services during 2002. Logistic regression analysis found various characteristics of persons and their employers that were significantly associated with the likelihood of having been medically evaluated for exposure to a zoonotic agent from laboratory animals.