How should mycoplasma in rats be treated?

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How should mycoplasma in rats be treated? - briefly
Effective control combines antimicrobial therapy with rigorous colony management, typically using a tetracycline‑based regimen such as doxycycline or minocycline administered for several weeks, followed by confirmatory PCR testing. Additional measures include quarantine of infected rats, regular health monitoring, and thorough environmental decontamination to prevent reinfection.

How should mycoplasma in rats be treated? - in detail
Mycoplasma contamination in laboratory rats compromises experimental reliability and animal welfare. Prompt identification and eradication are essential for maintaining a pathogen‑free colony.
Accurate diagnosis relies on a combination of culture, polymerase chain reaction, and serology. Culture provides isolates for susceptibility testing, while PCR offers rapid detection of low‑level infections. Serological surveys identify chronic carriers and quantify exposure within a breeding program.
Therapeutic strategies focus on antimicrobial administration, environmental decontamination, and colony management:

Antibiotic regimen

Tetracycline class (doxycycline 5 mg/kg, oral, twice daily for 14 days) demonstrates broad efficacy against most Mycoplasma species.
Macrolides (azithromycin 10 mg/kg, oral, once daily for 7 days) are effective for strains resistant to tetracyclines.
Fluoroquinolones (enrofloxacin 10 mg/kg, oral, once daily for 5 days) serve as alternative agents for specific isolates.
Treatment courses should be repeated after a 7‑day drug‑free interval to eliminate persisting organisms.

Supportive care

Maintain ambient temperature and humidity to reduce stress‑induced immunosuppression.
Provide nutritionally balanced feed enriched with vitamin C and E to support mucosal immunity.

Environmental control

Autoclave bedding, cages, and water bottles before reuse.
Disinfect surfaces with 0.1 % sodium hypochlorite or 70 % ethanol, ensuring contact time of at least 10 minutes.
Implement barrier systems (HEPA‑filtered laminar flow cabinets) to prevent re‑introduction.

Colony management

Quarantine newly arrived animals for a minimum of 30 days, conducting PCR screening before integration.
Employ sentinel animals in each rack to monitor ongoing infection status.
Retire heavily infected breeding lines; replace with pathogen‑free stock when eradication proves impractical.

Post‑treatment verification involves repeat PCR testing on a cohort of treated rats after a 14‑day washout period. Negative results on two consecutive samplings, spaced one week apart, confirm successful clearance. Continuous surveillance, combined with stringent biosecurity, prevents recurrence and safeguards experimental integrity.