Quarantine, animal biosecurity and disease surveillance are critical components of a comprehensive veterinary care program to detect and prevent the introduction of pathogens into animal research facilities, thereby enhancing the quality of research animals and minimizing the potential of confounding experimental variables. As part of the IACUC-approved sentinel animal protocol (animal health surveillance program), Great Eastern University's veterinary care staff collects feces and swab samples directly from research animals for diagnostic testing. However, a semiannual program review raised the question of whether these sample collection procedures should be listed and approved on the research protocol or on the sentinel animal protocol. To address this question, one should consider the purpose of the sample collection and the personnel who carry it out.
Both the Animal Welfare Act (AWA)1 and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (the Guide)2 indicate that the attending veterinarian has responsibility for the health and well-being of all laboratory animals used at the institution and authority to ensure the provision of an appropriate veterinary care program. Specifically, the Guide2 states that an adequate veterinary care program is an essential part of an institutional animal care and use program, which includes assessment of animal well-being and effective management of a preventive medicine program. Preventive medicine programs should consist of various combinations of policies, procedures and equipment related to quarantine, animal biosecurity and animal health surveillance. Similarly, for species covered by the AWA1, adequate veterinary care must be provided and should include the use of appropriate methods to prevent, control, diagnose and treat diseases and injuries. Based on guidance from both the Guide2 and the AWA1, diagnostic sample collection activities on research animals for routine animal health surveillance and preventive medicine programs can be considered part of an adequate and comprehensive veterinary care program.
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