Working with the Laboratory Animals

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee:Working with the Laboratory Animals

The goal of this course is to provide information The goal of this course is to provide information on the use of vertebrate animals in research. on the use of vertebrate animals in research. This course will address:This course will address:

Regulatory requirements Regulatory requirements Occupational Health and Safety Occupational Health and Safety Housing and Routine Care Housing and Routine Care

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee:Working with the Laboratory Animals

To ensure the humane treatment of laboratory To ensure the humane treatment of laboratory animals, animal research is regulated by two animals, animal research is regulated by two federal agencies:federal agencies:• The United States Department of Agriculture (The United States Department of Agriculture (USDAUSDA) / ) /

Animal Care enforcing the Animal Welfare Act Animal Care enforcing the Animal Welfare Act RegulationsRegulations

• The National Institutes of Health / Office of Laboratory The National Institutes of Health / Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (Animal Welfare (OLAWOLAW) enforcing the PHS Policy) enforcing the PHS Policy

The Animal Welfare Act Regulations and the PHS The Animal Welfare Act Regulations and the PHS Policy mandates differ greatly with respect to the Policy mandates differ greatly with respect to the laboratory strains of vertebrate animals and rats. laboratory strains of vertebrate animals and rats. These species are not covered by the USDA but These species are not covered by the USDA but are included in PHS regulations and policy. are included in PHS regulations and policy.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee:Working with the Laboratory Animals

Saint Francis University Saint Francis University IACUCIACUC has policies and has policies and procedures on the use of animals that reflect procedures on the use of animals that reflect federal and other government mandates and federal and other government mandates and professional standards in the laboratory animal professional standards in the laboratory animal field—refer to the SFU IACUC Policy Handbook field—refer to the SFU IACUC Policy Handbook available at:available at:

http://my.francis.eduhttp://my.francis.edu

Occupational Health & Safety Public Health Service Policy

• The Public Health Service Policy requires The Public Health Service Policy requires institutions to have an institutions to have an occupational health and safety program for for individuals working with laboratory animals. individuals working with laboratory animals. This requirement is also reiterated in the This requirement is also reiterated in the Guide. .

• It is the responsibility of principal It is the responsibility of principal investigators to ensure that their laboratory investigators to ensure that their laboratory staff are informed of and participate in SFU staff are informed of and participate in SFU Occupational Health and Safety program.Occupational Health and Safety program.

Occupational Health & Safety Public Health Service Policy

Working with animals is associated with the following hazards which will be described more fully in the following pages:

– Injuries

– Allergies

– Zoonoses

Occupational Health & Safety Injuries and Allergies

InjuriesInjuries• Personnel handling vertebrate animals can be bitten if the animal Personnel handling vertebrate animals can be bitten if the animal

is poorly restrained. Though vertebrate animals are often inclined is poorly restrained. Though vertebrate animals are often inclined to bite when frightened, their incisors do not always break the to bite when frightened, their incisors do not always break the skin.skin.

• Poor technique in handling and restraining a vertebrate animal Poor technique in handling and restraining a vertebrate animal may also cause injury to the vertebrate animal.may also cause injury to the vertebrate animal.

• Training staff to work effectively and humanely with vertebrate Training staff to work effectively and humanely with vertebrate animals is essential to prevent injuries to people and vertebrate animals is essential to prevent injuries to people and vertebrate animals.animals.

AllergiesAllergies• People can develop an allergy to rodents after having contact People can develop an allergy to rodents after having contact

with them for some time.with them for some time.• Persons who develop allergy symptoms should seek medical Persons who develop allergy symptoms should seek medical

counseling and may have to discontinue working with this counseling and may have to discontinue working with this species.species.

All procedures on animals should be performed by properly trained personnel. By using safe work practices and appropriate personal protective equipment (29 CFR Part 1910 Subpart I), workers can minimize the likelihood that they will be bitten, scratched, and/or exposed to animal body fluids and tissues.

By following each of the following recommendations, researchers can reduce the chances of sharing diseases between the animals and themselves.

Use Safe Work Practices

Avoid eating, drinking, smoking, handling contact lenses, applying cosmetics, or taking or applying medicine.

Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes. Avoid using sharps whenever possible. Be extremely

careful when using a needle and syringe or when using sharps during necropsy (autopsy) procedures. Never remove, recap, bend, break, or clip used needles from disposable syringes. Use safe needles whenever possible.

Never use your mouth to pipette liquids; only use mechanical pipetting devices.

Use Safe Work Practices

Keep doors to rooms holding research animals closed.

Perform procedures carefully to reduce the possibility of creating splashes or aerosols.

Restrict operations that generate hazardous aerosols to biological safety cabinets or other ventilated enclosures, such as animal bedding dump stations.

Clean up all spills immediately.

Use Safe Work Practices

Promptly decontaminate work surfaces when procedures are completed and after surfaces are soiled by spills of animal material or waste.

Properly dispose of animal waste and bedding. Remove gloves and wash your hands after

handling animals or animal tissues and before leaving areas where animals are kept.

Report all incidents and equipment malfunctions to your supervisor.

Wear Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Wear all required PPE identified by your employer based on the activity performed.

Wear gloves designed to resist puncture from animal bites.

Wear eye protection. This will not only protect your eyes from potential scratches, but also will protect them from direct contamination by animal secretions or indirect contamination from materials contaminated with animal secretions.

Wear Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Wear head/hair covering to protect against accidental sprays or splashes.

Wear respiratory protection, if required. NIOSH-certified respirators that are properly selected and fitted will protect you from small particle aerosols.

Housing and Routine Care:Animal Crowding

Animal crowding in a cage affects environmental Animal crowding in a cage affects environmental quality (the accumulation of urine, for example, quality (the accumulation of urine, for example, leads to excess ammonia and moisture).leads to excess ammonia and moisture).

Crowding can also cause newborn pups to be injured Crowding can also cause newborn pups to be injured or killed. Crowding is a special concern for multiple or killed. Crowding is a special concern for multiple litters in a cage since pups grow very quickly and litters in a cage since pups grow very quickly and rapidly increase their output of excreta.rapidly increase their output of excreta.

In particular, if the mother is about to give birth to a In particular, if the mother is about to give birth to a second litter, the first litter should be weaned and second litter, the first litter should be weaned and removed to new cages to prevent smothering and removed to new cages to prevent smothering and trauma of the newborns.trauma of the newborns.

Routine Sanitation

Routine sanitation and environmental controls Routine sanitation and environmental controls are necessary for protecting animal health are necessary for protecting animal health and for minimizing the introduction for non-and for minimizing the introduction for non-experimental variables which could experimental variables which could undermine the quality of research data.undermine the quality of research data.

Sanitation schedules vary according to the Sanitation schedules vary according to the type of vertebrate animal caging.type of vertebrate animal caging.

Based on the types of caging and bedding in Based on the types of caging and bedding in use for your animal, SFU will have a standard use for your animal, SFU will have a standard operating procedure (operating procedure (SOPSOP) on the sanitation ) on the sanitation schedule for vertebrate animal cages.schedule for vertebrate animal cages.

Environmental Controls

The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals establishes standards for laboratory animal environments in regard to:

• room temperature • humidity • ventilation • illumination and light schedule • noise abatement• The details of these standards are generally not a concern to researchers who

house their animals in an institutional animal facility, because it is the animal care staff who have the responsibility of operating the facility in compliance with these environmental standards.

• For practical considerations due to common work hours, researchers should be aware of the lighting schedules used in the rodent housing rooms (commonly 12 hr light:12 hr dark or 14 hr light:10 hr dark).

• If researchers working late turn on the lights in the animal rooms during the dark period, the disruption of the light schedule may cause the animals to be perturbed, which may have effects on breeding performance and on circadian rhythms.

Animal Handling and Restraint

It's important to remember the following:

– A small animal can be easily injured if handled roughly. You should learn how to handle them firmly but gently and with confidence to avoid injuring these delicate animals.

– Some animals are inclined to become aggressive and bite. Although their teeth seldom break through your skin, a bite can hurt! Develop your confidence in handling animals by learning from an experienced mentor and practice hand restraint first on anesthetized animals.

Animal Handling and Restraint

If a vertebrate animal does bite you, train yourself not to fling the animal from your hand as a fall can hurt the animal and cause the loss of an animal and possible future genetic contamination of strains and stocks.

Instead, remember that the vertebrate animal has bitten you in fear and self-defense. At that moment, you and the vertebrate animal share a mutual desire to disengage from each other.

The best way to remove a vertebrate animal that is hanging on to your finger is to train yourself to lower your hand back into its cage. Presented with a retreat to its home cage, the vertebrate animal will quickly jump off your finger.