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Frequently asked questions about the OLAC Rodent
Quarantine Program
Introduction
Why is it necessary to quarantine
laboratory mice and rats before bringing them into OLAC facilities?
What organisms do we test for
during UCB quarantine?
Why these organisms?
Are all mice and rats quarantined
before being transported into OLAC facilities?
Are all mice and rats accepted
into quarantine?
What is done during quarantine?
How long is the quarantine period?
Can experimental procedures be
performed on mice during quarantine?
Has there ever been a presumed
healthy shipment of mice sent to OLAC, quarantined, and found to be
infected?
Who do I contact to arrange shipments
of rodents that require quarantine?
Introduction
The use of genetically modified mice has increased dramatically in the
past ten years and is a trend that is likely to continue. Commonly used
stocks, strains and lines of laboratory rats and mice with known health
status may be available for purchase from established commercial suppliers
such as the Jackson Laboratories. Often genetically modified rodents
are only available from scientific collaborators working in academic
or private institutions. The husbandry conditions and pathogen status
vary considerably from institution to institution and even within institutions.
The Office of Laboratory Animal Care (OLAC) has established a quarantine
program designed to reduce the risk of introducing selected pathogenic
organisms into UC Berkeley rodent facilities.
Why is it necessary to quarantine laboratory
mice and rats before bringing them into OLAC facilities?
The quarantine period is designed to protect the entire UCB research
program. Mice are isolated and tested in order to reduce the risk of
introducing pathogenic organisms into OLAC facilities. The selected
test organisms may cause disease in laboratory mice and rats, and/or
introduce unwanted research variables into experiments involving these
rodents.
What organisms do we test for during UCB quarantine?
Laboratory Mice: Mouse Hepatitis Virus (MHV), Sendai Virus, Pneumonia
Virus of Mice (PVM), Mycoplasma pulmonis, Theiler's Mouse Encephalomyelitis
Virus (TMEV, GD VII), Reo-3 virus, Mouse Parvovirus, rotavirus- Epizootic
Diarrhea of Infant Mice (EDIM), Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis virus (LCMV),
Ectromelia Virus, pinworms and ectoparasites.
Laboratory Rats: Rat coronavirus/Sialodacryoadenitis virus
(RCV/SDAV) Sendai Virus, Pneumonia Virus of Mice (PVM), Mycoplasma pulmonis,
Theiler's Mouse Encephalomyelitis Virus (TMEV, GD VII), Reo-3 virus,
Mouse Parvovirus, Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), pinworms
and ectoparasites.
Why these organisms?
- Diseases caused by the listed organisms can cause morbidity, mortality,
immunomodulation or other more subtle physiological effects in laboratory
mice and/or rats. One (LCMV) may cause disease in people. Some of
these organisms have been essentially eliminated from modern rodent
facilities and are considered rare, but several, including MHV and
Ectromelia Virus, have recently caused devastating disease outbreaks
in research facilities.
- These are the same organisms screened for during OLAC quarterly
rodent health surveillance (sentinel) procedures.
- These are the organisms routinely screened for in most academic
rodent facilities.
- The UC Davis Comparative Pathology Laboratory, where the quarantine
blood samples are processed, offers a panel of serological tests (termed
Mouse or Rat Level 1 Panel) for these organisms.
Are all mice and rats quarantined before being
transported into OLAC facilities?
No. Several commercial rodent vendors are approved for purchase and
transportation of mice and rats directly into our facilities. All laboratory
rats and mice coming from any other source must go through quarantine.
Are all mice and rats accepted into quarantine?
Usually, but it is dependent upon the overall health status of the institution
the animals are coming from. OLAC veterinarians review the health surveillance
records from the incoming institution. Laboratory mice and rats originating
from facilities with no recent history of disease problems are accepted
into quarantine. In special circumstances, for instance, if a "clean"
source is not available, mice and/or rats may be accepted from facilities
that have problems. In this case, after direct discussion between OLAC
veterinarians and veterinarians from the incoming institution to insure
that individual animals are healthy, special arrangements would be made.
OLAC veterinarians might request additional testing or that testing
be done on individual animals prior to shipment. In no case would confirmed
infected animals be released from quarantine.
What is done during quarantine?
The OLAC rodent quarantine is managed in an "all-in-all-out" manner.
Shipments of mice and rats from different institutions are arranged
to arrive around the same time (usually within one week of each other).
Animals arriving during this pre-arranged time window are housed in
microisolaters in a designated room in the quarantine area of the NAF.
Investigators are notified by email when animals arrive. A sentinel
mouse or rat is assigned to each separate shipment. Soiled bedding from
the incoming rodents is taken every week during cage changing, and placed
in the cage of the sentinel animal. At the end of the 4-week period
the sentinel animals are euthanized, bled and their serum sent to the
reference lab to be tested for antibodies to the organisms listed above.
Investigators are notified when sera from all sentinels are found to
be negative for the screened organisms. Investigators then place an
"Animal Transfer Request" and OLAC will transfer the animals to standard
housing.
How long is the quarantine period?
Five-six weeks. Quarantine-sentinel animals are exposed to incoming
mouse or rat bedding for four weeks. Four weeks is chosen because most
of these organisms require two weeks before infected animals shed virus
and develop detectable antibodies. For instance, mice exposed to MHV
the day of shipment might take two weeks to shed MHV in feces. The sentinel
mice would then take another two weeks to develop detectable antibodies.
Four weeks is therefore the minimum time necessary to assure that all
newly arrived animals are pathogen-free. The additional 1-2 weeks are
needed for the reference laboratory to process the sera and communicate
results.
Can experimental procedures be performed on
mice during quarantine?
The principles of quarantine include isolation and reduction of foot-traffic
to a minimum required for routine husbandry. Should an organism inadvertently
be introduced to the quarantine area, OLAC wants to minimize the possibility
of spread to other susceptible mice. Procedures should therefore not
be done during the quarantine period. Breeding during quarantine is
particularly problematic, and therefore discouraged, because of the
frequent cage-checking, required to manage breeding cages. Justified
exceptions can be made (e.g. for embryo transfer) but these must be
cleared with OLAC veterinarians prior to shipment arrival and an OLAC
escort will accompany any individuals needing to access quarantine animals.
Has there ever been a presumed healthy shipment
of mice sent to OLAC, quarantined, and found to be infected?
Yes. Mice shipped to OLAC from Europe were discovered to be infected
with MHV during quarantine. Because of successful quarantine, the MHV
was detected and never spread into the UCB rodent facilities.
Who do I contact to arrange shipments of rodents that
require quarantine?
An Animal Shipping Request form (available on the OLAC web-site or outside
room 203 NAF) should be completed and submitted to the Animal Health
Technician manager (FAX: 3-5026). This will initiate the shipping process.
OLAC requests contact information for both the investigator and the
veterinarians from the institution. These contacts are important as
the health status of the originating colony of the incoming animals
must be reviewed and approved by OLAC veterinarians prior to initiating
any animal shipment to quarantine.
PLAN AHEAD AND GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME
Additional information regarding the Rodent Quarantine Program (including charges)
is available in the OLAC "Guide to Services", which is available on-line
( OLAC Web-Site). For further information regarding the rodent quarantine
program please contact Lindsey Jennings at 643-5255.
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