Survival and transmissibility of Pasteurella pneumotropica

Survival has been determined for Pasteurella pneumotropica on various surfa ces found in an animal room at 23 +/- 1 degreesC and 50 +/- 10% relative hu midity. Longest survival (120 min) was found on mouse hair, shortest ( < 30 min) on laboratory coat fabric. Transmission experiments were performed us ing sentinel animals in order to evaluate the efficiency of their use for t he detection of P. pneumotropica in quarantined mice. In sentinels exposed to infected mice by close contact, P. pneumotropica was detected by culture 2 weeks post-exposure and seroconversion 3 weeks after contact. Transfer o f soiled bedding from Pasteurella-infected mice did not infect sentinels wi thin a period of 12 weeks as tested by cultivation or serum antibodies.