Small Animal BioContainment

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Small Animal Bio-Containment
at Childrens Hospital Research Foundation
Dorothy Elsaesser, MS Biosafety Officer
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TCHRF Veterinary Services

• AAALAC accredited
• USDA licensed
• Staffed by 65 employees
• 2 DVM
• 2 training coordinators
• 1 coordinator for surgery / compliance
• Weekly training for Vet Services staff
• Vivarium located on 5th, 6th and 7th floors
• Controlled access to vivarium

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We Are Growing!

• The addition of Location S will more than double
  the size of the research facility
• Location S will add 416,000 sq. ft.
• Vet Services will renovate vacated laboratory
  space

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TCHRF Veterinary Services

• 65,000 adult animals including mice, rats,
  rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep, pigs, ferrets,
  frogs, zebra fish, non-human primates
• 97 are rodents
• 90 are transgenic animals
• New zebra fish facility will house 100,000 fish

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IBC Work with Animals

• 196 active IBC protocols
• 130 IBC protocols for work with transgenic
  animals (mice, rats, frogs, Zebra fish, fruit
  flies)
• 27 IBC protocols for working with animals and
  pathogens
• 1200 research personnel working with animals
• All participate in medical surveillance at some
  level
• All are retrained annually

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Working with Animals

• The Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
• Occupational Health and Safety in the Care and
  use of Research Animals
• Laboratory Animal Welfare Regulations

IACUC Institutional Animal Care and Use
Committee AAALAC Association for the Assessment
and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care USDA
United States Department of Agriculture NIH
National Institutes of Health OLAW Office of
Laboratory Animal Welfare
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Working With Animals
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Working With Animals

• Activities of animals present hazards
• Unpredictable
• Bite
• Scratch
• Create aerosols from bedding
• May harbor zoonotic disease

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Containment

• Elements of containment
• Safety equipment PPE (primary containment)
• Caging systems
• Biosafety cabinets
• Facility design (secondary containment)
• Barrier facilities (both positive and negative
  pressure differences)
• Ventilation
• Practices and procedures

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Caging Systems Primary Containment

• Conventional
• Open top and H2O bottle
• Microisolators
• Tops on all cages
• Allow limited air exchange
• Ventilated Caging System
• Cages are sealed into rack
• HEPA filtered supply and exhaust air
• Automatic watering

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Barrier Facilities Secondary Containment

• SPF colony, Nudes, SCID, RAG and transgenic mice
• Ventilated caging positive pressure
• All caging, racks, food, bedding and supplies are
  autoclaved
• Scrubs, gowns, masks, shoe covers, gloves, hair
  covers
• Entrance through air shower supplies through UV
  hood
• Biobubble surgery

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Clean Rooms

• Ventilated caging system
• Automatic watering
• Autoclaved caging, racks, food, bedding and
  supplies
• Scrubs, gowns, masks, hair covers, shoe covers,
  gloves
• Laminar flow hoods

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5th Floor Barrier

• All caging, racks, food, bedding and supplies are
  autoclaved
• Equipped for pathogen use
• Static caging
• Animal rooms negative pressure to anteroom
• Scrubs, gowns, hair covers, masks or respirators,
  shoe covers, gloves
• Separated from other areas of facility

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5th Floor Barrier

• Entrance through anteroom
• Work with animals and pathogens under Class II
  Type A2 biosafety cabinet
• Researchers provide husbandry for 48-72 hours or
  more after administering agent

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Door Signs

• Each room has a designated person for animal
  husbandry
• Biohazard door signs on outside of suite
• Door to animal holding has biosafety level sign

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Cagewash Area

• Cagewash area for all cages, racks
• Cages and bedding from infected animals are
  soaked with Bleach Rite
• Bedding disposed as infectious waste

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What Makes it Work?

• Veterinary Services Staff
• IACUC
• IBC
• BSO
• Employee Health
• Researchers

• Communication
• Training
• Cooperation

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Thanks!
Jeff Childs, Surgery Compliance Coordinator
Karen Naugle, Barrier Coordinator
Brianne Hetzler, Training Coordinator
Gary Keller, DVM, Veterinary Services Director