| Title |
Identification of an Astrovirus Commonly Infecting Laboratory Mice in the US and Japan
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, June 2013
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0066937 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Terry Fei Fan Ng, Nikola O. Kondov, Nobuhito Hayashimoto, Ritsuki Uchida, Yunhee Cha, Ashley I. Beyer, Walt Wong, Patricia A. Pesavento, Hiroshi Suemizu, Marcus O. Muench, Eric Delwart |
| Abstract |
Mice (Mus musculus) are the most commonly used laboratory animals. Viral metagenomics on tissues of immunodeficient mice revealed sequences of a novel mammalian astrovirus. Using PCR, we screened mice from 4 breeders, 4 pharmaceutical companies, 14 research institutes and 30 universities in the US and Japan. Mice from one US breeder tested positive while none from Japanese breeders were positive for MuAstV. Mice in over half of the universities (19/30), institutes (7/14) and pharmaceutical animal facilities (2/4) investigated revealed the presence of MuAstV. Nine mice strains tested positive including both immunodeficient strains (NSG, NOD-SCID, NSG-3GS, C57BL6-Timp-3 (-/-), and uPA-NOG) and immunocompetent strains (B6J, ICR, Bash2, BALB/c). Our data indicates that MuAstV has a wide geographical, institutional and host strain distribution. Comparison of the MuAstV RdRp sequences showed numerous mutations indicating ongoing viral divergence in different facilities. This study demonstrates the need for metagenomic screening of laboratory animals to identify adventitious infections that may affect experimental outcomes. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 2 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 1 | 50% |
| United States | 1 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 1 | 50% |
| Scientists | 1 | 50% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 44 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 3 | 7% |
| France | 1 | 2% |
| Brazil | 1 | 2% |
| Austria | 1 | 2% |
| China | 1 | 2% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 2% |
| Unknown | 36 | 82% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 9 | 20% |
| Student > Master | 8 | 18% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 16% |
| Student > Bachelor | 6 | 14% |
| Professor > Associate Professor | 4 | 9% |
| Other | 7 | 16% |
| Unknown | 3 | 7% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 16 | 36% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 7 | 16% |
| Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 5 | 11% |
| Computer Science | 4 | 9% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 3 | 7% |
| Other | 5 | 11% |
| Unknown | 4 | 9% |