University Research Animal Resources

URAR Policy on Coverdell Rodent Vivarium Rodent Health Protection

Background

While it is impossible to completely eliminate the risk of an infectious organism outbreak within an animal facility, University Research Animal Resources (URAR) is fully dedicated to maintaining a Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) status and minimizing the risk of infectious outbreaks in the Coverdell Rodent Vivarium (CRV). This policy describes the procedures to be followed by URAR staff and research personnel working in CRV in order to minimize the risk of an infectious outbreak.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to minimize the risk of barrier breaks and to limit their impact if they do occur.

Scope

This policy applies to all rodents housed in the CRV, and all personnel who enter the CRV.

Procedures:

I. Quarantine, Movement of Rodents, and Biologicals

The importation of animals, the intra- and inter-institutional movement of animals, and the use of unscreened biological materials (e.g. tumor cells, animal products, inoculants derived from animals) are the highest risk activities that occur in the animal facility, and require strict adherence to policy and appropriate procedures

A. Quarantine of rodents from non-commercial sources:
  1. The receipt of rodents from non-commercial sources, such as other academic institutions, must be pre-approved by the Attending Veterinarian. The source institution must provide a report on the rodents’ health status for review before approval is given. New arrivals are held in Quarantine (CRV room 52) until diagnostic testing indicates that they are likely free of pathogens of concern. During quarantine they are routinely treated for pinworms and mites. Quarantine generally takes approximately 6 weeks. During this time, research personnel do not have access to their rodents in Quarantine without specific permission from the Attending Veterinarian. Further details on the quarantine process and charges are explained on the URAR Importation and Quarantine form .
B. Movement of Rodents within CRV
  1. The movement of rodents from one room to another must be approved by the Attending Veterinarian or a designee.
    1. A PI who houses rodents in more than one room within CRV and intends to transfer rodents between the rooms (eg after infection) must notify the URAR. This must be arranged before movement of the rodents begins, but once it is arranged, notification about subsequent similar transfers is not required, as long as established transfer procedures are followed.
    2. The transfer of live animals from one PI to another PI must be arranged via URAR. A standard animal request form must be completed, and the animals transferred to the recipient PI’s AUP. If the transfer requires moving the animals into a different room, this movement must be approved by the Attending Veterinarian or a designee before the animals are physically moved. Animal Request Form for URAR-LS
  2. Animal rooms with a known or suspected pathogen of concern are put under quarantine procedures, and movement of animals, supplies, equipment out of the room is prohibited without arrangement with the Attending Veterinarian or a designee
    1. Animals must not be moved from a quarantined room into an animal room which is believed to be free of infection.

C. Biologicals implanted/injected into rodents

The injection of biological tissues into rodents for experimental purposes is a known method of transmission of pathogens into rodent colonies. Cells, tissues, media with rodent serum, animal derived inoculants, and other biological which may carry rodent pathogens must be tested for rodent pathogens before injection into rodents in the CRV facility. PCR testing is recommended. Labs which need to use biological must contact the Attending Veterinarian who will provide information on laboratories which perform this testing, and which tests are required.

II. Personnel Procedures

The entry of personnel into the animal facility and work activities within the animal rooms is not as high a risk activity for introducing infections into the CRV as is the importation of animals or introduction of biological into the rodent colonies. However, the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and attention to procedures and personnel and material flow, is valuable in limiting the spread of a pathogen of concern should one be introduced. In addition, the use of PPE limits personnel exposure to allergens and experimentally induced infections. Opening a cage and handling the rodents is the highest risk activity routinely performed. It is vital that proper procedures for using the change stations and biosafety cabinets are followed to limit introduction of pathogens into a cage or spread from one cage to another.

A. Entry and Exit Procedures

  1. All personnel will follow the required entry and exit procedures, and wear the required PPE when working in the animal facility.
  2. Entry to animal facility
    1. All personnel entering the animal facility must remove street clothes and put on clean scrubs in the locker rooms. The only exception to removing street clothes before you put on scrubs is if your street clothes are completely covered by the scrubs (ie undergarments, shorts, tank top).
    2. Clothing that the PPE will not cover, such as hats and scarves, must also be removed.
    3. Personal listening devices must be worn such that the wires run under the scrub top and can be covered to the neck by PPE.
    4. Visitors, PPD, and equipment maintenance personnel will also be required to change into scrubs in the locker rooms.
    5. All personnel must either put on dedicated shoes (only worn in the facility) OR shoe covers to enter the facility. Dedicated shoes must be worn only in the facility, not in or beyond the locker room.
  3. Corridor use
    1. Personnel in the corridor should be wearing scrubs and dedicated shoes (or shoe covers)
  4. Entry to animal rooms, procedure rooms, necropsy, and surgery room
    1. All personnel entering the room must put on a disposable yellow gown (or autoclavable gown) and gloves. There should be no gap between the sleeve cuff and the gloves. Pulling the glove over the cuff or the cuff over the glove ensures this.
    2. Some barrier rooms require additional PPE, such as masks. Refer to the door signage to determine the required PPE for the room
    3. As personnel enter the room, they are to place both feet fully on the sticky mat and step on the mat 5-6 times per foot before stepping into the room.
  5. Exit of animal rooms, procedure rooms, necropsy, and surgery room
    1. Personnel remove the room specific PPE
    2. Proper removal procedures:
      1. Remove your gloves
      2. Remove the gown, being careful to not touch your scrubs or skin with the outside of the gown.
      3. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer
    3. Personnel carrying something out of the room which requires wearing gloves (cages/carcasses) put on a new pair of gloves after removing the gloves worn when working in the room and washing hands.
    4. Re-use of gown. Generally, the disposable gowns are for 1 use. A gown may be re-used ONLY if you are NOT leaving the animal facility when you leave the room. For example, you are leaving an animal room to work in a procedure room then returning to the animal room. The gown MUST be hung up between uses. All gowns MUST be discarded when you are planning to leave the facility, and MUST NOT be kept overnight to use the next day.
  6. Exit of the animal facility
    1. Personnel change back into street clothes in the locker rooms. Place the scrubs in the laundry hamper
    2. Dedicated shoes (or shoe covers) are removed before leaving the locker room. Dedicated shoes must be worn only in the facility and locker room.
  7. Re-entering the facility
    1. Personnel who leave the facility and then return, even to go to the break room or the office, must follow the entry procedures as before.
B. Traffic Patterns of uninfected areas to possibly infected areas
  1. Personnel will follow current traffic patterns as directed by the CRV supervisor
  2. Personnel working in a quarantined room must wear the standard PPE AND shoe covers, which are removed before exiting the room.
  3. In general, personnel must not work in a ‘clean’ room (clean cage wash/storage, procedure rooms, surgery, animal rooms believed to be free of infection) after working in a quarantined room on the same day.
  4. Personnel who must work in a ‘clean’ room after working in a quarantined room on the same day must gain permission from the CRV supervisor or designee, wash their hands and forearms well and repeat the standard entry procedures, including changing into clean scrubs, before entering the ‘clean’ area.
  5. Any movement of supplies or equipment from a quarantined room into ‘clean’ rooms (clean cage wash/storage, procedure rooms, surgery, animal rooms believed to be free of infection) must be arranged via the CRV supervisor or a designee, to ensure proper decontamination.
C. Proper usage of change stations and biosafety cabinets (SOP 3.107)
  1. Clean the interior surface of the hood with disinfectant.
  2. Place the cage in the hood.
  3. Sterile housing cages are sprayed with disinfectant before opening.
  4. Remove the cage lid and place it face up on the work surface, being careful not to touch the interior surface of the cage or cage lid.
  5. Before handling items/animals in the cage, spray hands with disinfectant.
  6. Perform your activities with items inside the cage. If you have to touch something outside of the cage, spray your hands with disinfectant before handling items outside of the cage, and spray your hands with disinfectant before handling items inside the cage again.
  7. Once you are finished handling items in the cage, spray your hands with disinfectant.
  8. Replace the cage lid onto the cage, being careful not to touch the inside surfaces of the lid or cage.
  9. Remove the cage and clean the interior surfaces of the hood with disinfectant.

III. Other Important Programs and Procedures

Other programs and specific procedures are important to protecting the health of the rodent colonies and the research.

A. Health Surveillance Program:

URAR routinely screens rodent colonies for pathogens of concern [link to agents of concern] via the diagnostic testing of sentinel rodents, as well as cull colony rodents when available. This surveillance program is intended to identify the presence of pathogens of concern as quickly as possible, and limit their impact and spread. Importantly, even robust routine surveillance may take weeks or months to detect the introduction of a pathogen of concern, so the procedures described in this policy are vital to containing infections before they are detected.

B. Direct exposure to rodents outside of work:

Exposure to pet rodents or rodents used as food for other pets is a known risk factor for the introduction of rodent diseases to research colonies. Personnel who have this type of direct exposure to rodents outside of work must wash their hands and forearms well at the start of the day before entering the animal facility.

C. Cryopreservation:

This policy describes the procedures and programs in place to maintain SPF status and minimize the risk of infectious outbreaks in CRV. Because no procedures can fully eliminate the risk of an infectious organism outbreak in an animal facility, researchers with unique and irreplaceable genetically manipulated mouse strains are strongly encouraged to protect their research by cryopreservation of germ cells or embryos which, in the case of a colony outbreak, can be used to repopulate with uninfected animals.

IV. Responsibilities

A. It is the responsibility of all personnel working in the CRV to:
  1. Abide by this policy and follow procedures appropriately.
B. It is the responsibility of the URAR staff to:
  1. Instruct lab personnel and visitors regarding the policy and procedures.
  2. Enforce the policy and procedures as needed by reminding lab staff of appropriate procedures and notifying the lab PI and URAR-LS Director if inappropriate behavior continues.
C. It is the responsibility of the lab personnel to:
  1. Notify the URAR staff if the policy or procedures inhibit research progress so that an exception that will facilitate the research while maintaining rodent protection can be developed.

V. Exceptions

Any exception to this policy must be approved by the Attending Veterinarian.