Great Eastern University, a state-supported college, shared one of its buildings with the State Rabies Diagnostic Laboratory, an agency of the state's Department of Health. The rabies laboratory was near the school's laboratory animal facility, but it had no direct affiliation and shared no work areas with the university. The rabies lab brought dead animals or animal parts to its facility in order to remove tissues for subsequent rabies tests. Recently, some people had begun trapping bats in their own homes and bringing the live bats to the diagnostic lab for rabies testing. There they would be euthanized and tested for rabies.

Great Eastern and its IACUC were totally unaware of the details of the lab's activities until an IACUC protocol was sent to the university from a member of the rabies laboratory. The protocol clearly explained how the live bats were handled and then euthanized at the lab. It also stated that the Department of Health's safety committee had reviewed and approved the procedures and that now they wanted the Great Eastern IACUC to approve the procedures because they were working with live animals covered by the Animal Welfare Act.

For his part, the Great Eastern IACUC's chairman, Dr. Larry Covelli, wanted nothing to do with this protocol, because it came from a state entity that was not part of the university and was submitted by a person who was not part of the university. As Covelli explained it to the IACUC, “the Department of Health, the police and even some private veterinarians euthanize animals for rabies examinations all the time. They don't have IACUCs. The diagnostic lab has been euthanizing live bats for months, and now, out of the blue, they send us a protocol to review because we're the only state institution with an IACUC. Somebody must have told them to get an IACUC approval and we're the easiest way to do that. But I think we should stay away from this. As far as I'm concerned, these are 'private' animals being brought to the diagnostic lab for a rabies test. It has nothing to do with us, and even if the lab needs some sort of IACUC approval, I see lots of aggravation if we're the ones to give it. Just because we're in the same building and our animal facility is near the diagnostic lab doesn't mean that we're obligated to review their protocols.”

Is Covelli right, or should Great Eastern University review the State Rabies Diagnostic Laboratory's protocol? Does the laboratory even need IACUC approval for euthanizing bats that might be rabid?

Response to Protocol Review Scenario: Complex circumstances

Response to Protocol Review Scenario: Federal oversight needed

Response to Protocol Review Scenario: Whose watch?

Response to Protocol Review Scenario: A word from USDA