topic 4: Animal Housing/Facility Management Flashcards
1
Q
main areas of a facility (from cleanest to dirtiest)
A
- surgery rooms
- procedure rooms
- animal housing rooms
- bedding and feed storage rooms
- quarantine rooms
- cleaning & washing areas
- necropsy & carcass disposal room
2
Q
what kind of equipment is found in a surgery room?
A
- surgical table
- operating lights
- anaesthetic machine
- ventilator
- fluid pump, CRI machine
- relevant monitoring equipment
- autoclave (with or without dryer)
- scrub area in the antechamber with adjoining prep room
3
Q
what kind of equipment is found in a procedure room?
A
- required machinery (e.g. anaesthetic machine, etc.)
- imaging equipment (e.g. X-ray) may be housed separately due to different requirements such as wall shielding.
- floors may need to be reinforced to withstand machinery weight
- BSC (biosafety cabinet) for procedures e.g. injections/blood draws/euthanasia/tissue collections
- consumables & drugs in fridge/safety cabinets as required
- diagnostic lab (if applicable)
4
Q
what kind of equipment is found in an animal housing room/quarantine room?
A
- IVC racks
- animal transfer station/cage changing station
- BSC here is optional but good to have!
5
Q
what kind of equipment is found in a feed/bedding storage room?
A
- metal shelves/wooden pallets to elevate the feed from the ground
- at least 6 inches away from the walls
6
Q
what kind of equipment is found in a cleaning/washing area?
A
- cleaning equipment e.g. pressure washers, hoses, disinfectants, sprayers
- bedding scrapping station
- rodent cage washer
- industrial autoclave
- chemical cabinet
7
Q
what kind of equipment is found in a necropsy/carcass disposal room?
A
- necropsy table
- fridges/freezers to store carcasses
- histopathology equipment
- liquid nitrogen tanks
8
Q
ALL ROOMS SHOULD HAVE….
A
- emergency shower & eyewash station
- handwashing sink
- drainage hole with appropriate cover
- fire extinguisher
- thermometer
- hygrometer
9
Q
SPF vs Conventional animal housing
A
- free of a specific list of pathogens by routine testing (SPF) vs microbial burden unknown & untested, may harbour diseases (conventional)
- IVC/flexible film isolators (SPF) vs shoe box cages (conventional)
- “clean” facility (SPF) vs no defined “clean” or “dirty” traffic flow (conventional)
- food and bedding are autoclaved/irradiated (SPF) vs feed and bedding may not be sterile (conventional)
- water undergoes reverse osmosis (SPF) vs water can be tap water (conventional)
- air is HEPA filtered (SPF) vs not HEPA filtered (conventional)
- “clean”/”barrier”* environment (SPF) vs “clean” & “dirty” items can enter/exit from the same doors (conventional)
- procedures/cage change done in Animal Transfer Station or ABSL-2 safety cabinet hood (SPF) vs in open rooms (conventional)
- restricted access (SPF) vs unrestricted access (conventional)
- PPE required (SPF) vs PPE may not be required (conventional)
10
Q
barrier environment
A
- prevents infectious agents from entering an area where animals of a defined health status are housed/used
- may have wet showers or changing into dedicated clothing/footwear/sterile disposable outer garments
- PPE, show covers, gloves, face masks, hairnets
- airlock/air shower & shoe bath
- only SPF animals may pass through the area
11
Q
microenvironment
A
- immediate physical environment that is surrounding the animal
- environment in the primary enclosure (cage, pen, stall, etc.)
- resources which animals come directly into contact with
- temperature, humidity, ventilation, gaseous/particulate composition of air
- affects behaviour, health, well-being of the animal & physiology of the animal
- may be influenced by the macroenvironment (room that the cages are housed in)
12
Q
primary enclosures should…..
A
- allow normal physiological/behavioural needs of animals (e.g. urination, defecation, normal movements &posture adjustments, breeding & maintenance of body temperature)
- allow social interaction & development of hierarchies within or between enclosures
- allow animals to be clean and dry (as consistent with species requirement)
- resist corrosion and withstand sanitation
- allow adequate ventilation
- allow access to food and water
- allow easy filling/refilling, changing, servicing and cleaning of water and food utensils
- provide a secure environment that does not allow escape or the accidental entrapment of appendages/animals between surfaces
- be free of sharp edges that may injure the animals
- allow observation of animals with minimal disturbance to them
13
Q
ventilation of cages
A
- well-ventilated
- door grills
- wire bottoms to let air circulate well
14
Q
open-top caging
A
- barrier is at room level
- plastic cage with lid covering the top
- exposed to macroenvironment!!!
- must set the temperature/humidity of the macroenvironment properly
- potential contamination from personnel or the environment is the HIGHEST
15
Q
static isolator cage
A
- barrier is at cage level
- plastic cage with lid covering the top, no seal around the lid
- some possible cross contamination
- there is no action of moving air in or out of the cage (low ventilation)
- disposable cages are available for cytotoxic studies
- can be expensive to replace
- MODERATE risk of contamination from personnel
- higher levels of waste gases (Ammonia, CO2)
16
Q
individually ventilated cages (IVC)
A
- silicone o-ring seal
- some possible cross contamination
- air is circulated in or out of the cage by rack. frequency is adjustable
- cages are reusable & stand up to sanitising procedures
- expensive to replace & set-up
- lowest risk of contamination from personnel
17
Q
factors that affect the microenvironment (temperature and humidity)
A
- housing materials & construction
- use of filter tops
- number of animals per cage
- forced ventilation of enclosures
- frequency of bedding changes and bedding type
18
Q
what happens if humidity in the microenvironment is too high/too low?
A
- ideal: 55% (+/- 10%)
- if too high: respiratory disease in rats or nasal dermatitis infection in gerbils
- if too low: ringtail in rats
19
Q
ideal temperature & humidity settings (for rodents, nude rodents, guinea pigs, rabbits)
A
- rodents: 20-24°C, 55% (+/- 10%) humidity
- nude rodents: 22-26°C, 55% (+/- 10%) humidity
- guinea pigs: 18-24°C, 40-70% humidity
- rabbits: 16-22°C, 55 (+/- 10%) humidity
20
Q
macroenvironment
A
- physical environment of the secondary enclosure (room/barn/outdoor habitat)
- affects the behaviour, health, well-being of animals & physiology of animals
- macroenvironment can affect the microenvironment
- temperature
- relative humidity
- ventilation
- dust
- lighting
- noise & vibrations
21
Q
room temperature (macroenvironment)
A
- 18-24°C
- must have MINIMAL FLUCTUATIONS
- monitor closely
- limit fluctuations to +/- 2°C
- changes in temperature causes animals to respond by altering their metabolic rates
- this may affect experimental results due to metabolic inconsistencies
- drug activity/toxicity/metabolism/feed & water intake/reproductive performance/growth/susceptibility to diseases may all be affected
22
Q
relative humidity (macroenvironment)
A
- affects thermoregulation, food consumption, activity level, disease transmission
- may cause respiratory problems in animals (see card 18)
- can cause spoilage of feed and mould growth in bedding
- can be 30-70%, +/- 5-10% or whatever is the most appropriate for the species
23
Q
ventilation (macroenvironment)
A
- good ventilation/air exchange rates can help to remove heat, ammonia, carbon dioxide and any airborne particles
- 10-15 air exchanges per hour is recommended
- positive (air gets pushed out) & negative pressure (air gets sucked in)
24
Q
dust (macroenvironment)
A
- microorganisms can attach to dust particles and contaminate animals & their environments
- can possibly cause LAA (lab-acquired allergies)
- change room filters periodically for optimal effectiveness
- maintain proper air flow rate into the room
- good housekeeping
25
Q
lightning (macroenvironment)
A
- lights that are too bright can cause stress to the animal
- wavelength of light that the animal is exposed to will impact growth, reproduction & development
- albino animals may get phototoxic retinopathy when exposed to light above 300 lux (too intense)
- 12 hour light/dark cycles
- 10 hour light/14 hour dark may be used for breeders
- red lights can be used (researchers can continue work even in the dark while minimising disturbance to rodents)
- red films on the door panels (prevent corridor lights from going into the room
- cage/racks can be rotated routinely relative to light sources
- animals can be provided with tunnelling/hiding structures so they can modify their own light exposure
- providing variable intensity light controls
26
Q
noise and vibrations (macroenvironment)
A
- more than 85 decibels of noise can cause unnecessary stress, decreased breeding/fertility, rabbits jumping in cages
- affects food/water intake, blood pressure, hormones/immune responses, WBC count & plasma cholesterol levels & learning abilities
- pigs and dogs (noisier animals) should be housed away from rodents and rabbits (noise sensitive animals)
- no radio except if for enrichment for NHPs
27
Q
benefits/importance of environmental enrichment in relation to animal welfare
A
- improves biological function of captive animals living in a modified environment
- increases the number and range of normal behaviour of animals
- decreases abnormal behaviours
- increases animal’s interaction with the environment
- enhances animal’s ability to cope with behavioural & physiological challenges
28
Q
examples of environmental enrichment
A
- social interaction (animal & animal or animal & human)
- food enrichment (foraging behaviour)
- physical enrichment (experiencing different microenvironmental conditions such as shelters, perches & bedding)
- sensory enrichment (engages an animal’s senses, may not necessarily require interactions e.g. TV, music or smells)
- cognitive & occupational resources (positive reinforcement technique (PRT), puzzles & activities)
