Animal Health

The Building 6B Shared Animal Facility is operated as a "disease free" facility. Only animals known to be free of pathogenic organisms may be maintained in the facility (aquatic species are excluded from this requirement). Health checks are done for animals in every cage at least daily, including weekends and holidays. Animals may not return to this facility after being removed (frogs and fish are excluded from this policy). The successful operation of a "disease free" facility requires the implementation of a sophisticated health monitoring program. This program is designed to verify the continued absence of specific pathogens. Rodent health monitoring is based on the housing and sampling of sentinel animals. A cage of sentinel animals is present on the bottom shelf of every rack (one on each side of a double-sided rack) in the facility. Please do not disturb these sentinel cages. Sentinel animals are submitted to the Diagnostics and Research Services Branch of the Veterinary Resources Program (VRP) for necropsy and serologic, bacteriologic, parasitologic, and histopathologic evaluation. The health monitoring program is covered in detail in the written facility operating procedures.

Sick research animals occasionally are submitted to the VRP Diagnostics and Research Services Branch for evaluation. This is done as directed by the Facility Veterinarian to obtain a definitive diagnosis to insure that the health of an individual animal has not presented a risk to rest of the colony. However, experimental and genetic manipulation of animals can often result in adverse effects on the health of individual animals without presenting any risk to other animals in the facility. The Building 6B Shared Animal Facility does not routinely submit these animals for evaluation. If you require the submission of animals with pathologic conditions that are related to your study, this should be handled and paid for through your Institute.

The response to receiving a positive result after evaluation of a sentinel or research animal is placing the affected animal room under quarantine. During a quarantine, access to the room is restricted, additional protective clothing is required to enter the room, and animals are generally not permitted to be moved into or out of the room. The positive sample is re-tested and additional sentinel and experimental animals are tested in an effort to determine the extent of the real or suspected outbreak. Infected animals are generally removed from the facility. Plans for dealing with a disease outbreak are usually discussed by the User Committee or its Veterinary Subcommittee. The sophisticated caging systems used in this facility have been extremely effective in limiting the spread of infectious agents.

An important potential mechanism for the introduction of pathogenic organisms into our rodent colonies is through carelessness of the animal care or investigative staffs. Pathogens can be transported on various fomites, including clothing, hair, shoes, etc. This is the reason protective clothing must be worn as described above. It is also why we ask that you do not enter the Building 6B Shared Animal Facility if another animal facility has previously been visited in the same day unless you take a complete shower (including hair washing) and change into facility clothing.

Proper techniques for handling cages should be followed as covered in your facility orientation session. Copies of these procedures are posted on all of the change hoods. The blower unit of the change hoods must be turned on and remain on during the course of work and clean-up. The work surfaces of the hood must be disinfected with ethyl alcohol before work is begun. All objects (including gloved hands) must be disinfected with ethyl alcohol or Clidox before being placed in hoods. Only one animal cage may be opened at a time. The cage must be sprayed wiped with ethyl alcohol prior to being placed in the change hood and opened.