Skip to main content
Home / Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, Volume 50, Number 1

Open Access Soiled Bedding Sentinels for the Detection of Fur Mites in Mice

Download Article:
Identification and eradication of murine fur mite infestations are ongoing challenges faced by many research institutions. Infestations with Myobia musculi and Myocoptes musculinus can lead to animal health problems and may impose unwanted research variables by affecting the immune and physiologic functions of mice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility and efficacy of soiled bedding sentinels in the detection of fur mite infestations in colony mice. Female young-adult CRL:CD1(ICR) mice (n = 140) were exposed over a 12-wk period to various volume percentages of soiled bedding (11%, 20%, 50%, and 100%) from fur-mite–infested animals. Mice were tested every 2 wk with the cellophane tape test to identify the presence of fur mite adults and eggs. At the end of 12 wk, all mice exposed to 11%, 20%, and 50% soiled bedding tested negative for fur mites. One of the 35 mice (3%) receiving 100% soiled bedding tested positive for fur mites at the end of the 12-wk follow-up period. These findings suggest that the use of soiled bedding sentinels for the detection of fur mite infestations in colony mice is unreliable.

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Laboratory Animal Resource Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA. [email protected] 2: Laboratory Animal Resource Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA

Publication date: January 1, 2011

More about this publication?

  • The Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (JAALAS) serves as an official communication vehicle for the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS). The journal includes a section of refereed articles and a section of AALAS association news. The mission of the refereed section of the journal is to disseminate high-quality, peer-reviewed information on animal biology, technology, facility operations, management, and compliance as relevant to the AALAS membership. JAALAS accepts research reports (data-based) or scholarly reports (literature-based), with the caveat that all articles, including solicited manuscripts, must include appropriate references and must undergo peer review.

    Attention Members: To access the full text of the articles, be sure you are logged in to the AALAS website.

    Attention: please note, due to a temporary technical problem, reference linking within the content is not available at this time

  • Editorial Board
  • Information for Authors
  • Submit a Paper
  • Subscribe to this Title
  • Membership Information
  • Information for Advertisers
  • For issues prior to 1997
  • Institutional Subscription Activation
  • Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Share Content

  • Access Key
  • Free content
  • Partial Free content
  • New content
  • Open access content
  • Partial Open access content
  • Subscribed content
  • Partial Subscribed content
  • Free trial content