INFREQUENT SHEDDING AND TRANSMISSION OF HERPESVIRUS-SIMIAE FROM SEROPOSITIVE MACAQUES

The epizootiologic properties of Herpesvirus simiae: (B virus) were st udied in singly housed macaques (Macaca mulatta and M. fascicularis) i n a biomedical vivarium to determine whether commonly encountered envi ronments and procedures such as quarantine, breeding, Caesarean sectio n, parturition, and social stress induced virus shedding and transmiss ion. Macaques were tested serologically and for infectious virus. Oral , conjunctival, and vaginal swab samples were obtained repeatedly. Vir us excretion was not detected during a 7-week quarantine of 32 newly a cquired, singly housed animals tested every other week for 6 weeks, an d none of 19 seronegative animals from this group seroconverted during 7 weeks in quarantine. No virus shedding was detected in 16 seroposit ive animals tested weekly for 3 weeks after Caesarean section or norma l parturition or in 11 seropositive animals following introduction of new males to animal rooms. One animal seroconverted after repeated bre eding of seropositive animals to seronegative partners. Fifty-three si ngly housed offspring remained seronegative for up to 10 years, even i f born to seropositive dams, and only 1 of 86 singly housed animals le ss than 7 years old was seropositive. These results suggest that shedd ing of B virus from seropositive macaques is uncommon, when subjected to common laboratory procedures or environments, and that transmission is rare in singly housed animals. These results may be useful in esta blishing B virus-free colonies of macaques.