University of Virginia Health System

Access to vivaria is restricted to authorized University personnel only. This policy exists to protect the public from unnecessary exposure to potential hazards, to protect the health and well-being of the laboratory animals, and to ensure the integrity of the research in progress. The faculty and staff of the University are requested to assist in enforcing this policy and to report unusual or malicious incidents to the Director CCM and the University Police. Only animal care staff and research personnel listed on an approved animal research protocol are permitted limited access to the vivaria. Keys to facilities and individual animal rooms are issued to research personnel who contact Tim Reid at 4-2324 (UVA CompMed Question). Other employees and University visitors are not admitted to the vivaria without approval of the Director or Associate Director CCM . Minors are forbidden to enter the vivaria because of the regional use of infectious organisms, radiation and chemical hazards. Appropriate signage is posted when indicated to identify the hazard present and personal precautions to be taken when working in the area. Hazardous work can be performed within the vivaria only after approval of the IACUC who will require that the investigator demonstrate approval by the appropriate University authority: the Institutional Biosafety Committee (infectious organism or gene vector), Radiation Safety (radionuclide), and/or Environmental Health and Safety (chemical or laser). Access to rooms housing nonhuman primates is limited to persons who are demonstrated to be negative on a tuberculin skin test semi-annually and current in tetanus vaccination. Strict adherence to appropriate personnel protective clothing is required when working with nonhuman primates, rodents in barrier caging, and animals inoculated with hazardous agents or substances.

Rodents and rabbits moved within a building should be placed in a clean box with a secured lid. Boxes are available in each vivarium and must have a solid bottom containing absorbent bedding material to keep the animal dry. Large animals should be moved in transport cages which either have wheels or are placed on carts. Inquiries about animal transport caging should be directed to the local area supervisor. Animals which are to be moved through areas of access by the public should be visually obscured.

Animals that must be moved from one building to another will be moved by CCM personnel. Requests for animal transportation between buildings should be submitted to our central office at least 24 hours in advance on an approved animal transport form and the request needs Dr. Feldman's approval.

 

The central office is located at MR5, room G010, fax no. 4-0354.

 

Animal transport can be accommodated between 7:30 AM - 3:00 PM weekdays. Special requests on weekends and holidays will be accommodated if possible. Movement of animals between building after normal working hours must be discussed with the Director or Associate Director CCM.

Click here for a copy of the Animal Delivery Sheet request form.

Top of Page

Animals must euthanized in accordance with the methods described in the 2007 AVMA Panel on Euthanasia in order for an animal research proposal to be approved by the IACUC. Once an animal is euthanized it is the responsibility of the investigator to transfer the dead animal(s) to the appropriate vivarium coldroom. Plastic bags can be obtained from the vivaria or ordered from the Hospital storeroom. Animals intended for immediate disposal should be placed into the containers provided in the coldroom. Animals to be held for later inspection are placed on the shelf units with the investigators name, phone number, and date. Please complete the disposal record which is suspended on the door of the coldroom. Investigators who desire to have the vivarium staff euthanize laboratory animals must fill out a Request for Euthanasia form available from the vivarium supervisor.

A portion of the CCM staff works a staggered workweek schedule to cover routine animal care on weekends. Holiday coverage is performed by rotating animal care staff holidays so that an abbreviated staff is present to provide husbandry and health observations. One of the CCM veterinarians is on call evenings, weekends and holidays. The on-call veterinarian can be contacted by paging through the School of Medicine operator.

If an investigator wishes to be notified during weekends or holidays regarding any health issues relating to their research animals, they can submit a request to the vivarium supervisor. The request must contain a contact person's name and phone number(s). If there is concern regarding a specific animal, this should be delineated for the vivarium supervisor so (s)he can notify the weekend supervisor and the on-call veterinarian about potential concerns.

 

Transfer of Animals Between Protocols

---

Transfer of animals from one investigator's protocol to another protocol either with the same investigator or another investigator is permitted under certain circumstances:

 

1. The animal must have had no invasive procedures previously performed on it.
2. If any drugs were administered, the recipient investigator must be made aware of exactly what drug, how much, and when it was administered.

To initiate the transfer process, a form entitled Notification of Transfer of Animals Between Research Protocols must be filled out and submitted to the Center for Comparative Medicine office, by fax to 924-0354, or in person at MR5, Room G010. We will then make the necessary adjustments in animal numbers on the two protocols, notify the appropriate facility supervisors of the transfer, and make appropriate changes on the animal's cage label.

 

A pdf. file of the Notification of Transfer of Animals Between Research Protocols is available for download by clicking here.

 

Top of Page

When animal orders are entered into our computer, cage labels are generated with the following information: species, strain, date of arrival, sex, age/weight, source, protocol number, principal investigator, and charge code number. These labels must stay with the animal at all times. Additional information such as a researcher's animal identification number, or experimental information may also be written on those labels but must not obscure the CCM information. Dogs and cats are tattooed with their federal identification numbers. Pigs are ear-notched or tattooed. Primates are tattooed. Investigators may elect to identify rodents with receive eartags, ear punch, tattoo, toe clip, or transponder chip.

Each animal room has an inventory sheet with records of additions and deletions from the animal population in the room. CCM tracks the number of mouse cages in use only and not the individual number of mice per cage (except for singly housed rodents). This is performed for per diem billing purposes only. All others species are individually counted. Room inventories are conducted weekly by the vivarium staff. Current per diem rates can be obtained from Ms. Micki Laman upon request.

Per diem rates for all species are reevaluated on an annual basis. The rates are determined by the labor and material costs involved in caring for the various species, and subsidize the subsistence of the CCM. Replacement caging for all species must be capitalized and calculated into the per diem calculation. The Accounts Manager, Ms. Micki Laman (4-9984), can answer specific questions regarding animal purchase costs and per diem rates. Ms. Laman can estimate budgetary requirements of animal purchases and housing for inclusion in grant submissions. Any inquiries regarding per diem rates or animal costs should be addressed to the Director CCM.

Current Per diems

Top of Page