Research Enterprise Newsletter - November 2008: Animal Care & Use News
Vanderbilt Adopts USDA Pain/Distress Categories
The IACUC voted to adopt the use of the USDA's pain and distress categories. To assist with this transition, a subcommittee consisting of veterinary staff developed Guidelines for Determining USDA Pain & Distress Levels. The new guidelines also offer specific examples of procedures within each pain category.
- USDA Category B covers breeding or colony holding protocols. (Note: there is no USDA Category A.)
- USDA Category C, Vanderbilt's former category A, is defined as no more than momentary or slight pain or distress and no need of pain-relieving drugs.
- USDA Category D, Vanderbilt's former category B, is pain or distress appropriately relieved with anesthetics, analgesics and/or tranquilizer drugs or other methods for relieving pain or distress.
- USDA Category E, Vanderbilt's former category C, is pain or distress that is not relieved with anesthetics, analgesics and/or tranquilizer drugs or other methods for relieving pain or distress.
IACUC Develops Guidelines for use of Analgesia and Suturing Materials
To assist Vanderbilt research staff in determining the most appropriate analgesia drugs and regimen - as required by Federal regulations and recommended by veterinary medical experts - an IACUC subcommittee developed Guidelines for Analgesia. Additionally, the same subcommittee established guidelines for closing incision sites to assure that state-of-the-art materials are used, and to clarify the details required in the protocol in this regard. These references are posted on the IACUC web site at Guidelines for Analgesia & Suturing.
Mouse Quarantine Will Return to Vanderbilt
Since last March, quarantine of mice procured from non-commercial sources has been conducted at Charles River Laboratories. This was done to protect the health of Vanderbilt mouse colonies while the Division of Animal Care (DAC) reassessed quarantine practices in light of events that transpired after Mouse Hepatitis Virus (MHV) was detected in quarantined animals.
The DAC recently obtained approval from the Small Animal Advisory Committee to move forward with a plan to bring quarantine back to Vanderbilt. A biocontainment caging system was selected because it allows for a shorter quarantine period, a greater number of shipments per year, lower operational/labor cost, and protection at the individual cage/shipment level. Information on the plan was presented to all users at the August 2008 Animal Care and Use Informational Meeting and to the IACUC on October 22nd.
Bringing mice in from other institutions will always carry some risk to Vanderbilt's existing mouse colonies. The DAC and Small Animal Advisory Committee feel the new quarantine plan manages that risk at an acceptable level. The exact date for return of quarantine has not yet been determined but will be communicated in advance. In the interim, questions regarding mouse quarantine can be directed to the DAC Director (J. Wallace) or Associate Directors of Veterinary Medicine (K. Salleng) and Operations (K. Jackson).
