(e.g., table tops, equipment) Always follow manufacturer’s instructions.
These guidelines apply to all surgical procedures performed on rodents at the NIH in which the animals are expected to recover from anesthesia.
Survival surgery on rodents should be performed using sterile instruments, surgical gloves, masks and aseptic procedures, to reduce microbial contamination of exposed tissues to the lowest practical level. Minor surgical procedures such as wound suturing and peripheral vessel cannulation should be performed in accordance with standard veterinary practices.
Individuals performing survival surgical procedures must be knowledgeable of aseptic surgical techniques and have adequate training and skills to conduct the procedure to be performed without causing undue post-surgical distress to the animal. Aseptic techniques must be used for all survival surgical procedures. Aseptic technique is used to reduce contamination of the surgical site to the lowest practical level.
Laboratory animal husbandry covers three areas: (1) Facilities and operating procedures in facilities, including temperature and humidity, lighting, cage construction and maintenance, cage size, and waste disposal; (2) Animal health and husbandry, including feeding, water, sanitation, staffing, classification and separation, and veterinary care; (3) Transportation, including construction, size, and ventilation of transportation cage, identification of animals, and care in transit.
Minimal standards of care and housing for laboratory animals are defined by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and the NIH Guide. Institutional policy may, however, impose more stringent criteria.
The IACUC is charged with warranting that the university “ensure that all scientists, research technicians, animal technicians, and other personnel involved in animal care, treatment, and use are qualified to perform their duties. This responsibility shall be fulfilled in part through the provision of training and instruction to those personnel” (Animal Welfare Act, 2.32). The Act further specifies areas of training that should be included.
Since both the Animal Welfare Act and the PHS Policy mandate review of all research/teaching/demonstration projects involving use of vertebrate animals, in recent years it has fallen upon the IACUC to develop a mechanism that will facilitate this review, allowing us to meet regulatory requirements without imposing an undue burden on individual investigators.
All institutions covered by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) or receiving government funding for research or teaching involving laboratory animals must have an active Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The IACUC is required to have at least five members, including a veterinarian, a scientist with laboratory experience, a non-scientist, and a person who is not affiliated with the institution and does not use lab animals at another research facility.