1. Laboratory Animal Health
Peter Nowlan I

2. Principles of Good Laboratory Animal Health
Sound principles of animal husbandry
nutrition
water
bedding
light
sound
temperature
ventilation

3. Principles of Good Laboratory Animal Health
Animals
source of animals
reputable breeders
LABAAS scheme/FELASA
use of animal health monitoring programmes
quarantine

4. Principles of Good Laboratory Animal Health
Animal health monitoring programmes
principle of programmes
sample size (>2 weanlings, >4 young adults, >4adults)
frequency of monitoring (every 3 -6 months)
sample types (serum, bacteriology, faeces, skin)
FELASA lists of viruses, bacteria, endoparasites
gross pathology
Photo of felasa

5. No. ANTIGENS
1. Minute virus of mice (MVM)
2. Mouse hepatitis virus (MHV)
3. Pneumonia virus of mice (PVM)
4. Reovirus type 3 (Reo3)
5. Sendai virus
6. Theiler’s encephalomyelitis
7. Hanta viruses
8. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCM)
9. Ectromelia virus
10. * Lactate dehyrogenase virus (LDV)
11. ** Mouse adenovirus (MAd)
12. ** Mouse pneumonitis virus (K)
13. ** Mouse polyoma virus
14. ** Mouse thymic virus (MTV)
15. ** Mouse rotavirus (EDIM)
16. ** Mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV)

6. Animal health status categories
Definitions
Conventional - harbouring “normal indigenous, but undefined organisms
Specific pathogen free (SPF) - free from pathogens, which can be specified, but otherwise with an undefined microflora
Germ-free -free from any other detectable form of life
Gnotobiotic - an animal or system in which all the life forms are known
Applications of the various categories of animal health status

7. Animal house design and health
rodent control
Barrier systems
isolation/quarantine
layout

8. Barrier systems Full Barrier shower in / autoclave materials
Individually Ventilated Racks
Isolators
Clean areas

9. Full Barrier shower in/ autoclave materials
Normally used for core breeding colonies
Minimum people in
Shower and full change of Clothes
All materials sterilises on entry / autoclave/ irradiated/ chemical sterilisation
Video

10. Individually Ventilated Cages
Used In a Clean Room
All materials sterilised
Personnel change going into room
All manipulations take place in laminar flow
Video

11. Isolation Quarantine All animals entering an area must be quarantined
And
Monitored to an appropriate standard e.g. FELASA

12. Clean Room
It is often desirable to hold animals in conventional areas for short periods while under experiment .
This can be done under clean room
Not SPF but maintain barriers

13. Diseases of mice
MVM/ MPV – infect rapidly growing tissues/ Immuno modulatory
MHV – decreases of skin graft rejection
Helicobacter ( prolapse in IL10 KO)
Sendai - increase in killer cell mediated cytotoxicity
Pneumocystis Carinii ( immuno suppressed animals pneumonia )
Pin Worms ( alters humoral response to no parasitic antigenic stimuli)

14. Bacterial infections of mice
Bordetella - respiratory system (surgery)
Leptospira - zoonosis
Mycoplasma - respiratory system
Salmonellae - zoonosis

15. Endoparasitic infections of mice
Eimeria spp.
Giardia spp.
Helminths (Syphacia obvelata)

16. Zoonoses Disease transmissible from animal to man Leptospirosis
Salmonellosis
LCM
Ringworm
Toxoplasmosis
Toxocariasis

17. Zoonosis prevention Common sense Good hygiene practices
Protective clothing
Proper working areas (classes of pathogen)
Health and safety personnel
Vaccination

18. Conclusions
Keeping animals physically and mentally healthy will help to ensure the quality of experimental data and thereby reduce the need to repeat studies