Policies and Operating Information

Assignment and Use of Animal Rooms.

Housing Animals in Laboratory Areas.

Pets.

Access to Animal Facilities.

All entrances to University of Tennessee animal facilities and some individual animal rooms are locked 24 hours a day. Access is gained by authorized personnel by means of a preprogrammed card key for Nash and entrance to Coleman. Card key or key authorization is obtained by contacting DCM administrator who will through security issue the necessary paperwork to encode a card key or other key access.

Additionally, individual rooms within the animal facility may be locked, either electronically or with a standard key or combination pad. Keys and access are issued to investigators and their staff by DCM Facility Operations through campus security or supervisor on approved need.

Access to the biohazardous areas, quarantine, and barriers in Nash and Coleman is restricted Contact the DCM facility coordinator to obtain access to these areas.

Animal Facility Tours.

Animal Procurement

To meet reporting and record requirements placed upon UT by federal legislation (e.g., Animal Welfare Act) and granting agencies (e.g., NIH), all animal orders and/or acquisitions must be placed through the DCM. Animals may not be purchased or otherwise acquired until a fully approved animal use protocol is on file. Also, DCM must be notified of any animals brought onto the campus (such as those legally trapped by investigators with approved trapping permits) or taken off campus. This includes all mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs, nonhuman primates, or any other vertebrate species used for research, testing, or education.

The DCM uses three major criteria to determine which vendor will be selected to fulfill an order and to ensure the procurement of healthy animals from licensed vendors:

1. The ability of the vendor to supply healthy animals. DCM encourages the use of virus titer free rodents for research purposes. Rodents with viral titer WILL be maintained in biocontainment.

 

The University requires any potential vendor to provide several animals for serology testing and submit regular health status reports of their animal colonies to the university. DCM monitors the health status of rodents by conducting random serology testing on incoming animals, and performs additional test on an on-going basis using a sentinel program. Research animals are not tested without prior approval from investigators. Rodents not meeting the requirements listed above may be purchased or acquired but will be housed in containment facilities.

Investigators can request that animals be supplied by a vendor which they have used at previous research facilities. These requests are made so the investigators can continue their work without additional variables in the research projects that can result from animals being supplied by another vendor. DCM will honor these requests once the health status of the animals has been determined and if appropriate containment facilities are required and available.
 

2. The ability of the vendor to transport animals by means of an acceptable carrier. DCM inspects all arriving animals and will reject any filter container that has been compromised. The vendor will be required to replace animals that arrive in damaged filtered containers, do not meet purchase order specifications, or are sick or injured. DCM prefers to use vendors who can transport animals using their own environmentally controlled vehicles and using specially trained personnel.

1. The vendor must become familiar with, and satisfy, DCM's requirements and to work to meet the needs of the research community. Vendors must be willing to meet delivery schedules. They also must be willing to notify DCM whenever there is possible contamination of their facility. Failure to do this could ruin projects in which substantial amounts of effort and resources have been invested.

 

To minimize the possibility of introducing disease into campus animal facilities, all arrangements for acquiring and housing live vertebrates must be made through DCM. DCM can assist investigators in determining when permits are needed and in obtaining them. All arriving animals are delivered to the Nash receiving area. Each shipment of animals is inspected by personnel to verify that order specifications have been met, and that the animals have arrived in good health.

Please submit animal orders at least seven (7) days before the day you want them in the facility.  This lead time might be longer depending upon the species and other factors (e.g., vendor availability, vendor location, vendors' shipping policies, etc.). Whenever possible orders are placed starting Tuesday for the next week's delivery.  Animals will not be delivered on Weekends or major Holidays. However, special delivery accommodations can be accepted at the discretion of DCM.

Orders must be received by Tuesday at 2 PM the week before the requested animal delivery date.  Orders received in DCM Wednesday after 10:30am are considered late and a $25 late order fee charged will be charged to your account. Emergency orders after deadline may be accommodated depending on vendor availability and a late fee will still apply..

All arriving animals are delivered to the Nash receiving area. Each shipment of animals is inspected by personnel to verify that order specifications have been met, and that the animals have arrived in good health.

Approved Vendors                Delivery Day
Harlan Sprague Dawley         Monday
Jackson Laboratory                Monday
Charles Rivers/Sasco            Monday
Nichols Hog Farm                 Monday & Wednesday
Myrtle's Rabbitry                   Monday
Hilltop Labs                            Tuesday
NCI                                        Monday
please call DCM for additional vendors and delivery days

Shipment of Animals.

Specific diagnostic tests (e.g., filovirus, tuberculosis) may be required by governmental agencies and/or the institution where the animal is being shipped. Arrangements to cover these costs must be made in advance and are not paid by the Department of Comparative Medicine.

Per Diem Charges for Animal Care.

Inventory sheets are maintained by the animal care staff on a daily basis. Per diem charges for animal care begin on the day the animal arrives and is housed in an animal room. Per diem rates on animals born in the animal facility usually begin on the day animals are weaned.

Movement of Animals.

Transportation of animals between facilities can be provided by the DCM maintenance staff. In order to request the transportation of animals, complete a transportation request form (copies can be obtained from the DCM administrative office located in Coleman B106 or contact the animal husbandry supervisor or facility coordinator at (448- 5656). Submit the completed transportation request form or telephone the animal husbandry supervisor a minimum of 24 hours (Monday - Friday) prior to the desired transportation date. Transportation requests which are for experimental purposes will be subject to a service charge.

When a vehicle is used to move animals between buildings on campus, contact DCM to arrange for transportation assistance. Written permission to transport animals in any vehicle other than those DCM vehicles that have been approved by USDA and other agencies for the transport of animals must be obtained from the Chair (or designee). Written assurance must include that the animal will:

• be placed in a secure transport cage
• not be left unattended during transport
• be placed in an environmentally controlled vehicle
• be directly transported to and from facilities

• species and number of animals to be transported
• description of vehicle used for transportation (for animal species included
• under the federal Animal Welfare Act, vehicle must meet United States
• Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements)
• purpose of transporting the animal
• duration of stay outside DCM animal facilities
• destination of transport
• name of the responsible person who will provide transportation
• disposition of animals/carcasses and caging equipment

Animal Husbandry.

Caging.

To reduce the risk of disease transmission in our rodent colonies, UT utilizes filter topped microisolator shoe box cages in the housing of certain animals per investigator requirement. Individuals who are unfamiliar with the use of these cages should be properly trained. Researchers are encouraged to contact the DCM facility coordinator at 448-5656 for more information.

Environmental Factors.

1. Temperature: The Guide has defined requirements for the proper maintenance of laboratory animals. Environmental factors such as temperature must be carefully monitored because they affect metabolism and behavior. DCM is responsible for maintaining and monitoring appropriate temperatures in DCM maintained animal facilities.
2. Ventilation: Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in animal facilities require constant monitoring to assure proper ventilation and appropriate temperature levels. DCM personnel work with appropriate University maintenance staff to ensure that environmental control systems in animal facilities are functioning properly. Any departures from appropriate levels should be reported to DCM immediately (448-5656). Facility problems encountered after working hours (7 am to 5 pm, M-F) should be reported to security (448-4444).
3. Illumination: DCM is responsible for establishing and maintaining light cycles in animal housing areas. Regular diurnal light cycles are provided by time-controlled lighting systems in most facilities. Special research needs which require departures from normal light cycles can be arranged through consultation with DCM. The standard light cycle in animal housing areas is 6 am to 6 pm.

Feed/Water.

Sanitation.

1. Cleanliness: The Animal Welfare Act and the NIH Guide have established schedules for frequency of cleaning animal rooms, and for cleaning and changing cages. Standard operating procedures pertaining to sanitation are followed by DCM animal care personnel to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Cage sanitation schedules can be altered to accommodate special research needs by arrangement with DCM.

1. Animal Carcass and Waste disposal: Refrigerators which are monitored by DCM personnel are maintained in Nash and Coleman animal facilities for deposit of animal carcasses. No food, drugs, supplies, or materials other than animal carcasses or tissues should be placed in these refrigerators.

1. Carcasses or tissues should be placed in appropriate red biohazard bags that are tied or otherwise secured at the top. If explosive anesthetic agents are used in research laboratories, carcasses must be aerated in an appropriate chemical fume hood prior to placement in red biohazard bags so that fumes do not build up that could cause an explosion. Fume hoods cannot be used for this purpose in animal facilities. Objects that are considered to be sharps (e.g., scalpels, blades, hypodermic needles with/without attached syringes, etc.) should be placed in rigid red/clear sharps containers for disposal. Radioactive and/or biohazardous animal wastes and bedding must be disposed of according to procedures established by DCM and the campus Radiation safety officer. For information on the disposal of radioactive and/or biohazardous materials, contact the Safety Office at (448-5792).

1. Vermin control: The presence of pests in animal colonies can result in contamination of feed and bedding, and the introduction of disease. Pesticides are used in animal areas only when necessary, and then only after consultation with the investigator(s) whose animals will be exposed to them. An approved pesticide list is available for review. Contact the Facility/operations coordinator at 448-5656.

Animal Identification and Record Keeping Requirements.

The Animal Welfare Act and the NIH Guide require appropriate identification of animals and maintenance of animal records. Accepted methods of animal identification include cage cards, collars and bands, ear notches and tags, implantable microchips, and tattoos.

Methods of Identification of each Species.

Cage cards generated by the DCM contain the information required by regulatory agencies.

• species
• source of the animal
• strain or stock
• principal investigator name
• names and locations of the responsible investigator(s)
• pertinent dates (e.g., date of arrival)
• protocol number
• per diem account number

Animal records must be maintained for 3 years following completion of the project and are subject to inspection by the USDA, NIH site visitors, and accrediting agencies. These inspections are usually unannounced.

Use of Ether in Animal Facilities.

Special Requests.

Additional caging or cage component supplies (i.e., mouse cages for weaning) can be obtained from the animal caretaker assigned to the care of your animals. Supplies will be delivered to the desired location as specified on the completed request form. Cage requests need to be submitted a minimum of 24 hours prior to the desired cage delivery date. Any project/veterinary special needs or concerns should be directed to a faculty veterinarian.