Animal Care Services

The University of Florida provides animal housing facilities through the Animal Care Services to meet the research and teaching needs of its faculty. The physical plant, ventilation, lighting, humidity, vermin control and sanitation measures, as well as the monitoring and health care programs for the animals within these facilities are all designed to comply with relevant federal, state, and local regulations. Animal housing areas, including those outside the Animal Care Services facilities, are subject to periodic inspection by the USDA, the UF Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (NIH). Investigators requesting to use study areas for housing animals must review this document and submit requested documents to the Attending Veterinarian. The Attending veterinarian will forward a recommendation regarding the request to the IACUC office.

Definitions
Study Area: Any investigator-managed building, room, area, enclosure, or other containment site outside central animal facilities which animals are housed for periods longer than 12 hours for USDA covered species (warm-blooded mammals, except for mice of the genus Mus, rats of the genus Rattus, and birds bred for research) and for 24 hours for other vertebrate species.

AWARs: USDA Animal Welfare Act Regulations

PHS Policy: Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals

The Guide: National Research Council Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals

Federal Regulations and Principles
The US Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training, Principle VII states “the living conditions of animals should be appropriate for their species and contribute to their health and comfort. Normally, the housing, feeding, and care of all animals used for biomedical purposes must be directed by a veterinarian or other scientist trained and experienced in the proper care, handling, and use of the species being maintained or studied.” In accordance with this principle, the USDA AWARs and the Guide set standards that are mandatory for the environment, housing, and management of laboratory animals. These documents form the basis for IACUC evaluation of animal facilities and study areas.

IACUC REQUIREMENTS
In accordance with the USDA AWARs and PHS Policy, the IACUC is required to conduct inspections of all animal facilities, including, but not limited to, areas where animals are maintained for periods longer than 12 hours for USDA regulated species and for 24 hours for all other vertebrate species, at least once every six months. Animals may be housed in study areas provided:

· The IACUC has approved the Animal Use Protocol (AUP) that identifies the study area as a housing area. The following question on the AUP must be completed and approved by the IACUC: 23.c. Will animals be housed anywhere outside of ACS facility housing for periods of time >12 consecutive hours, or periods >24 hours for rats of the genus Rattus, mice of the genus Mus, and birds bred for research? (If so, this location must be inspected and approved by the IACUC, ACS and EH&S to verify that this location meets all animal housing facility regulations prior to its use. Please provide that location, justification for this housing, and date of the most recent inspection.

· Please note that convenience is not considered acceptable justification for use of a study area. In cases where suitable housing is not available in the vivarium facilities, the IACUC may rescind approval of any study area at such time as suitable vivarium housing becomes available. Investigators are required to submit to the IACUC the time period for which the study area is to be used for animal housing.
· Investigator is responsible for arranging an inspection of the study area with the Attending Veterinarian and Environmental Health and Safety.
· The Attending Veterinarian and Environmental Health and Safety must notify IACUC office that the facility is satisfactory.
· The Attending Veterinarian is to review all documentation related to housing animals in the study area.
· Investigators must notify the Animal Care Service Office when animals are brought to and removed from a study area in order to facilitate the identification of active areas that require oversight by the IACUC and Animal Care Services (ACS).
· All animals housed in study areas within the HSC and CLAS are identified with ACS cage cards. Investigators are to return cage cards to the ACS office when animals are terminated from the study and marked with the word “euthanized/sacrificed” and date of termination.
· A copy of standard operating procedures, approved by the Attending veterinarian, must be posted in the study area.
· Investigators are to maintain study area log for the current month within the study area and be able to provide study area logs from the previous 12 months.
· The Attending Veterinarian or designee is given access to (i.e., a key or combination) to HSC or CLAS study areas for evaluation of animal health and well-being.
· Ventilation in the study area is adequate as measured by a licensed and approved contractor and reported to the Attending Veterinarian. Annual ventilation retesting by a licensed and approved contractor is a requirement of maintaining the study area as a housing area.
· The study area is inspected and certified by the IACUC at least once every six months. IACUC certification of a study area is valid for a 6-month period after the date of inspection with the condition that acceptable standards are maintained. During the inspection the following documents will be reviewed: ventilation reports, study area logs, and standard operating procedures.

Environmental Health and Safety Requirements
· The room should have "single pass", non-recirculated air. Air should flow into the room, not out, with respect to hallways, public spaces, and other adjoining rooms.
· The room needs to be segregated by a closable door that has an "animals present" sticker as well as current emergency contact phone numbers.
· There should be a sink for hand washing.
· All surfaces should be washable and able to withstand disinfectants or cleaning compounds. For example, cloth chairs, unsealed wood (tables, cabinets, shelving, etc) or unsealed concrete are not permitted.
· If inhalation anesthetics are administered, an anesthetic gas scavenger must be used or the anesthesia administered in a fume hood or ducted Class II Type B2 biological safety cabinet.
· DEA controlled analgesics or anesthetics need to be maintained in a secure, (lockable) manner.
· No food or drink will be allowed in the room.
· Animals should be transported in a covered cage (preferably a micro-isolator) on a cart through less public areas, i.e. service elevators, etc.
· Plans should be in place for dealing with biohazardous waste, animal carcasses, soiled bedding, and escaped animals.
· Animal housing or procedure rooms should be uncluttered and clean; work areas should be cleaned and/or disinfected after use.
· Any questions regarding the suitability of proposed procedure or housing rooms, or the practices outlined above, should be directed to the Biosafety Office at Environmental Health and Safety, 392-1591.

Documents to be reviewed and approved by the Attending Veterinarian

· Investigators are required to provide to the Attending Veterinarian a description of program using the AAALAC Program Description outline that includes a description of the Animal Environment, Housing, and Management (section B of the AAALAC program description), Veterinary Care (section C, if provided by other than ACS veterinary staff), and the physical plant (section D). The description should be updated at least annually or when major changes occur. The ACS veterinary staff will provide assistance to the Investigators for the completion of these documents. When ACS provides services, the response to the questions should state, “provided by ACS”. *
· Standard operating procedures (SOPs) that describe the animal environment, housing, and management following, as a guide, the section below entitled “Guidelines for Animal Environment, Housing, and Management”. Investigators are not required to provide SOPs for services provided by ACS.* A generic template.
· Study area animal care logs.* Again, a generic template.
· Ventilation reports.
· Contact the Attending Veterinarian for assistance.

* When ACS provides husbandry care, the Investigator is not required to submit these documents for review and approval.

Animal Care Services Requirements (If caging, cage sanitation, food and bedding are supplied by Animal Care Services)
· HSC and CLAS Investigators are required to use transfer forms located on the ACS website when relocating animals to and from ACS or CLAS animal facilities to their remote animal housing area. Approval by the veterinary staff is required before animals are relocated.
· Investigators or their staff are not permitted to remove bedding or feed from the ACS or CLAS animal housing areas.
· Investigators are to submit a requisition to ACS to request cages, food, bedding, etc.
· Investigators are charged a per diem when cages and supplies from Animal Care Services are utilized.
· Cages and racks returned to ACS should be appropriately covered as described by EH&S and labeled as to source and level of bio-containment in which the animals were housed.

Guidelines for Animal Environment, Housing, and Management

Animal Facility

Sanitation
The study area must have a regular sanitary maintenance schedule and must be kept clean, neat, and uncluttered. The Guide (p. 44) states “all components of the animal facility…should be cleaned regularly and disinfected as appropriate to the circumstances and at a frequency based on the use of the area and the nature of likely contamination.” Any exceptions to Guide standards must be approved by the IACUC.

Food/Bedding Storage
Food and bedding materials must be stored in closed containers to avoid contamination and the potential spread of disease. Containers must seal to exclude vermin from stored food and bedding being, and must be made of a material such that the container can be sanitized on a regular basis. It is important to note that, as stated in the Guide (p. 39), “contaminants in food can have dramatic effects on biochemical and physiologic processes, even if the contaminants are present in concentrations too low to cause clinical signs of toxicity.”

If food is not stored in its original bag, its milling date (found on the bag seam) must be indicated clearly on the food container. If no milling date is listed on the food bag, label the bag with the date received. With proper storage, food can generally be used up to 6 months after the milling or receipt date. However, the shelf life of food can be shortened by several factors, including temperatures above 21oC (70oF), humidity extremes, unsanitary conditions, light, oxygen, and pests. Furthermore, food with Vitamin C generally has a shelf life of only 3 months.

Temperature and Humidity
Temperature and humidity must be monitored and recorded on a daily basis to ensure adequate levels of these environmental factors are maintained in the study area.

Relative humidity should be maintained within 30 to 70%.

Unless the IACUC approves special environmental conditions, the area temperature must be appropriate to the species (see table below). According to the Guide (p. 29-30), “the range of daily temperature fluctuations should be kept to a minimum to avoid repeated large demands on the animals’ metabolic and behavioral processes.” Temperature extremes can affect research results, alter an animal’s performance, or lead to clinical effects and death.

Recommended Dry-Bulb Temperatures for Common Laboratory Animals
	Degrees Celcius	Degrees Faranheit
Mouse, rat, hamster, gerbil, guinea pig	18-26	64-79
Rabbit	18-22	64-72
Cat, dog, nonhuman primate	18-29	64-84
Farm animals and poultry	16-27	61-81

 

Ventilation
Ventilation serves to “supply adequate oxygen; remove thermal loads caused by animal respiration, lights, and equipment; dilute gaseous and particulate contaminants; adjust the moisture content of room air; and, where appropriate, create static-pressure differentials between adjoining spaces” (the Guide, p.30). Although factors such as species, animal size, number of animals, type of bedding, and frequency of cage-changing can affect the minimum ventilation rate required, an acceptable general standard for a vivarium room containing the maximum animal density permitted by other constraints is 10-15 fresh-air changes per hour. Investigators’ laboratories are frequently set up in space not designed to permit 10 – 15 fresh-air changes per hour. An acceptable general standard in such cases is that the maximum number of animals in a study area be reduced proportionately. Although lower or higher ventilation rates may be required in certain instances, provisions must be made to ensure that “harmful or unacceptable concentrations of toxic gases, odors, or particles” do not accumulate in an animal’s primary enclosure.

Illumination
The Guide (p. 34-35) states, “in general, lighting should be diffused throughout an animal holding area and provide sufficient illumination for the well-being of the animals and to allow good housekeeping practices, adequate inspection of animals—including the bottom-most cages in racks—and safe working conditions for personnel. Light in animal holding rooms should provide for adequate vision and for neuroendocrine regulation of diurnal and circadian cycles…A time-controlled lighting system should be used to ensure a regular diurnal cycle, and timer performance should be checked periodically to ensure proper cycling.” Several factors should be considered when determining adequate illumination, such as light intensity and wavelength, duration and time of light exposure during the circadian cycle, animal pigmentation and light history, body temperature, hormonal status, age, species, sex, and animal stock/strain.

Noise
Unnecessary noise in the study area should be minimized. The Guide (p. 36) recommends, “to the greatest extent possible, activities that might be noisy should be conducted in rooms or areas separate from those used for animal housing” and that “radios, alarms, and other sound generators should not be used in animal rooms unless they are parts of an approved protocol or an enrichment program.”

Hazardous Agents
Hazardous biological, chemical, or physical agents must not be stored or used where animals are housed.

Maintaining animals in the laboratory or other outside facility exposes individuals not previously listed on the protocol to agents that may compromise their health. All individuals who utilize an area shared by the study area must complete a Risk Assessment for Animal Contact and participate in the associated occupational medicine monitoring program.

Other
Doors must fit tightly within the frame to prevent escape of or injury to animals.

Animal Care and Husbandry
Daily Observation of Animals
In order to comply with federal requirements (USDA AWARs §2.33(b)(3) and the Guide, p. 46), animals must be observed daily, including weekends and holidays, by qualified personnel to assess their health and well-being. Daily observation of animals must be recorded in the study area log (see Section IV.C.a). Additionally, USDA AWARs §2.33(b) (3) requires a mechanism of direct and frequent communication with the attending veterinarian exists so that timely and accurate information on problems of animal health, behavior, and well-being is conveyed. Contact an ACS veterinarian at x22978 for animal health concerns. The on-call veterinary pager number (352-413-0810) should be kept readily available in case of an after-hours veterinary emergency.

Food/Water
Adequate provisions for feeding and watering of animals must be made at all times. According to the Guide (p. 38), “animals should be fed palatable, uncontaminated, and nutritionally adequate food daily or according to their particular requirements.” To avoid contamination, food must be stored properly and provided in feeders placed to prevent contact of food with feces and urine.

Additionally, animals must have access to “potable, uncontaminated drinking water according to their particular requirements” (the Guide, p. 40). To avoid microbial cross-contamination, the Guide recommends either replacing water bottles or refilling them provided they are returned to the same cage from which they were removed. Watering devices should be checked daily to ensure proper operation and must be washed and sanitized at least weekly.

Cages/Bedding
The Guide (p. 42) states “soiled bedding should be removed and replaced with fresh materials as often as is necessary to keep the animals clean and dry.” Bedding changes can vary from daily to weekly depending on factors such as animal number and size, cage size, urinary and fecal output, and experimental conditions.

Cages must be cleaned and sanitized on a regular basis. The frequency of cage sanitation may vary depending on specific husbandry practices, such as bedding type, cage type and size, animal density, and frequency of bedding changes. Cages should be sanitized at least once a week.

Record Keeping
Study Area Log
Records of animal care, room maintenance, and environmental conditions are required to be posted in the study area and kept updated by responsible personnel. As provided above, this is a sample Study Area Log, which can be modified as appropriate to the protocol and animal species. The completed log sheets must be kept on file locally and should accurately reflect the tasks performed and the frequency of each task as described in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the study area.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Animal Husbandry and Study Area Maintenance
A description of procedures for animal husbandry and study area maintenance must be submitted to the Attending Veterinarian.

The Attending Veterinarian must approve the SOP.

The SOP must be kept on file and be available for inspection by representatives of the IACUC, the Attending Veterinarian, and regulatory agencies during normal business hours.

Room Ventilation
A copy of a licensed and approved contractor’s report regarding room ventilation (exhaust and air exchange rate) must be submitted to the Attending Veterinarian. Periodic ventilation retesting (at a minimum of once annually) by a licensed and approved contractor will be a requirement of maintaining the study area as an animal housing area. This document must be kept on file and be available for inspection by representatives of the IACUC, the Attending Veterinarian, and regulatory agencies during normal business hours.

Veterinary Access
The Attending Veterinarian must be given access (i.e., a key or combination) to the study area in order to ensure the provision of adequate veterinary care in accordance with federal requirements. Specifically, the USDA AWARs §2.33(a) (2) mandates “each research facility shall assure that the attending veterinarian has appropriate authority to ensure the provision of adequate veterinary care and to oversee the adequacy of other aspects of animal care and use.” Furthermore, the Guide (p. 12) states, “adequate veterinary care must be provided, including access to all animals for evaluation of their health and well-being.” In accordance with these requirements, the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International requires “the attending veterinarian must have access to the institution’s animals used in teaching and research.”