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Response to Protocol Review Scenario: IACUC's responsibility

Lab Animal volume 38, pages 286–287 (2009)Cite this article

There are essentially two different issues to be addressed in this situation: Steadman's research problem and Steadman's report of an animal welfare concern. Whereas it is not the IACUC's responsibility to uncover the problem with Steadman's research results, it is the responsibility of Great Eastern University and the IACUC to fully investigate all allegations of animal mistreatment or complaints regarding animal welfare. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Great Eastern IACUC to fully review and investigate Steadman's complaint that the air conditioner's noise is adversely affecting the welfare of the laboratory rodents. In this instance, Steadman serves as the complainant. Once the complaint and appropriate background information are presented, it is up to the IACUC and not Steadman to determine whether animal welfare is indeed being adversely affected.

An IACUC's investigation into animal welfare complaints should include, at minimum, a review of all applicable references and resources. Because the university has AAALAC accreditation, the housing and care of all the rodents at Great Eastern, including those on Steadman's protocol, are subject to the standards put forth in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals1, as well as the National Research Council's book Laboratory Animal Management: Rodents2. The Guide clearly states that “the potential effects of equipment ... that produce noise in the hearing range of nearby animals ... should be carefully considered.” In addition, the National Research Council's guide on laboratory management for rodents states that “an effort should be made to separate rodent-housing areas from ... areas where mechanical equipment is used ....” In light of the aforementioned guidelines, the Great Eastern IACUC should also have, at minimum, interviewed animal care personnel and inspected the rodent housing areas. Dosimeters or other auditory measurement devices might also have been used to document the level of noise created by the air conditioner and support braces.

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References

  1. Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 1996).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Videan is in Regulatory Compliance and Program Development and McTighe is Clinical Veterinarian at Alamogordo Primate Facility, Holloman Air Force Base, NM.,

    Elaine N. Videan &  Margaret McTighe

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  1. Elaine N. Videan
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  2. Margaret McTighe
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Videan, E., McTighe, M. Response to Protocol Review Scenario: IACUC's responsibility. Lab Anim 38, 286–287 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0909-286a

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