Eradication of simian retrovirus type D from a colony of cynomolgus, rhesus, and stump-tailed macaques by using serial testing and removal.

The markedly compromised health of animals in a macaque colony and the problematic interpretation of data from two drug safety assessment studies prompted a review of the effect of simian retrovirus type D on the drug-development process at a Midwest pharmaceutical company. After reviewing relevant literature and consulting with an expert in simian retroviruses, we initiated a program of eradication. During a 16-month period, all cynomolgus (Macaca fascicularis), rhesus (Macaca mulatta), and stump-tailed (Macaca arctoides) macaques housed in the facility were evaluated as many as eight times for the presence of simian retrovirus type D by using serology, virus isolation, and/or polymerase chain reaction tests. All animals with positive test results were removed from the colony immediately. No test results indicative of simian retrovirus type D infection have occurred during the subsequent 2.5 years. We attribute the successful eradication and prevention of re-introduction of the virus to regular testing, purchasing animals from sources free of simian retrovirus type D, and assiduous application of procedures designed to prevent transmission between animals.