A cross sectional survey for B virus antibody in a colony of group housed rhesus macaques |
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| Authors: | B J Weigler J A Roberts D W Hird N W Lerche J K Hilliard |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616. |
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| Abstract: | A systematic sampling technique was used in combination with a highly sensitive and specific ELISA to provide unbiased age-specific prevalence estimates of B virus antibody in rhesus monkeys housed in three different outdoor breeding corrals. Among 146 sampled monkeys, 97% of animals 2.5 years and older were seropositive, while only 22% of younger animals were seropositive. Neither gender nor social dominance ranking were predictive of B virus antibody status. The strong age association was not inconsistent with hypothesized venereal transmission of B virus. Improvements in the epidemiologic understanding of B virus are necessary to assist efforts to eradicate this agent from breeding colonies of rhesus monkeys. |
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