ABSTRACT
During 1983 a severe episode of respiratory infection occurred in a marmoset colony at these laboratories. Of 91 marmosets, 69 showed clinical signs of disease, one died and nine were so ill that euthanasia was necessary. Eight were examined post mortem and all showed consolidation of the lungs. Laboratory studies were carried out in an attempt to establish the cause of the outbreak and an interstitial pneumonia was found in seven animals which were examined histologically. Direct electron microscopy of nasal swabs and lung samples revealed the presence of a high titre of a paramyxovirus, and subsequent immunofluorescence studies established that the particular paramyxovirus involved was parainfluenza virus type I. Subsequent studies showed that surviving affected animals had seroconverted to parainfluenza I virus while animals that had not been implicated in the outbreak had not.
Subject(s)
Callitrichinae/microbiology , Disease Outbreaks/veterinary , Monkey Diseases/diagnosis , Paramyxoviridae Infections/veterinary , Animals , Animals, Laboratory , Female , Male , Microscopy, Electron , Monkey Diseases/microbiology , Parainfluenza Virus 1, Human , Paramyxoviridae Infections/diagnosis , Paramyxoviridae Infections/microbiology , Pneumonia/immunology , Pneumonia/pathology , Serologic TestsABSTRACT
The toxicity of atracurium has been investigated in subacute tests in rat, dog and monkey, in a fetal toxicity test in the rabbit and in a paranatal study in the cat. No specific adverse effects were found despite administration of supraparalysing doses. It appeared not to cross the placenta at term and the neonatal kitten seemed resistant to its neuromuscular blocking action. In the dog, cat and pig, in which physiological monitoring was undertaken, i.v. injection of three to four times the paralysing dose had little or no effect on arterial pressure or heart rate. The solution did not cause local irritation. Atracurium was not mutagenic in the Ames test.
