Q. What pathogen do the RADIL diagnostic labs see most often in rats?

A. By an overwhelming margin, the most prevalent pathogen that we see in rats is RTV/TMEV (or Rat Theiler Virus).  Also known as Rat Theilovirus, TMEV-like virus of rats, and Rat encephalomyelitis virus, RTV is present two to two and a half times more frequently than RCV, RMV, PVM or H-1. 

RADIL has both an MFI serologic assay as well as a PCR assay with which to test for RTV. 

For more detailed information about RTV prevalence, download RTV Prevalency Data excerpted from Infectious Agents in Laboratory Rodents, presented by Dr. Lela K. Riley.

Q.  When the weather is too cold to ship animals, is there a way to continue our health-monitoring and diagnostic  testing?

A.  Yes.  Our Collect & Send services allow you to test without the concern or expense of shipping animals, and can be customized depending on your needs.

Q. I’d like to be able to use the boxes that I ship my samples in more than once.  Is it possible for RADIL to return my shipping boxes to me?

A.  Great question – and it’s perfectly in keeping with our “Greening Up” article.  We can return crates and boxes for reuse.  Many shipping boxes are made from materials that aren’t easily recycled, so reusing them is an important way to reduce the number discarded.  Additionally, it can be a significant cost savings when laboratories can get multiple uses out of a shipping container.   To set up a container return program for your institution, email us and we’ll get you set up to Return, Reuse and Save!

Q. I have a line of transgenic mice on a C57Bl/6 background that I used for some studies, but these studies have now been completed.  Therefore, I no longer need to maintain a colony of live animals.  I am thinkjing of cryopreserving this line in case I need to repeat some experiments or decide to utilize the line in future research projects.  Would it be best to freeze embryos or sperm? 

A.  If the major goal is to cryopreserve the line for potential use at some undetermined time in the future, we recommend cryopreservation of sperm. 

It is far less expensive to cryopreserve sperm ($600/line) and requires only 3-5 adult male mice.  In contrast, cryopreservation of embryos is more expensive ($2350/line) and requires 10-20 four- to six-week old female mice.  Please call to discuss your specific needs with one of our cryopreservation experts.