Multiple testing for the detection of B virus antibody in specially handled rhesus monkeys after capture from virgin trapping grounds.

Eight groups of rhesus monkeys totaling over 1,000 animals were captured in the virgin trapping grounds of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Individual caging and special handling technics were utilized to prevent cross-contamination during capture, holding, and subsequent shipment to quarantine facilities in the United States. Immediately following the arrival of the monkeys, 5 consecutive blood samples were obtained at approximately 2-wk intervals, and the sera were rested for neutralizing antibody against Herpesvirus simiae. In order to assure the greatest sensitivity possible, sera were not heat-inactivated and were tested against only 10 TCID50 units of virus in addition to the more commonly used concentration of 100 TCID50 units. The first test detected 80-90% of the positive animals within each group, and only 1 seroconversion was noted after the second test. Seventy-three percent of the adults, 36.6% of the young adults, and 12.4% of the juvenile macaques were found to be antibody-positive. Considering the measures employed to prevent cross contamination, these percentages probably reflect the true prevalence of B virus infection in these rhesus monkeys at the time of their capture in the wild.