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A Word from the USDA and OLAW

Lab Animal volume 50, page 298 (2021)Cite this article

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In this scenario a Principal investigator (PI) develops an innovative rodent model that involves the surgical connection of spinal cords of two animals. The PI indicates in his protocol that he would be the responsible party for training others on the specialized procedure. During a post approval monitoring inspection, a lab member is found performing the surgery on a mouse with no documentation of training from the PI. An allegation that animal welfare was jeopardized in this instance was brought before the IACUC.

The animal undergoing the procedure is not a covered species under the AWA regulations. Under the definition of ‘animal’, mice of the genus Mus bred for research are excluded1. As a result, the AWA regulatory requirements regarding personnel training cannot be applied2.

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References

  1. Title 9 Chapter 1 Subchapter A § 1.1 – Animal

  2. Title 9 Chapter 1 Subchapter A § 2.32(b) – Personnel qualifications

  3. Office of Science and Technology Policy. U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training, (Federal Register, May 20, 1985, Vol. 50, No. 97). https://olaw.nih.gov/policies-laws/gov-principles.htm

  4. Health Research Extension Act of 1985, Public Law 99-158, November 20, 1985, “Animals in Research”. Sec. 495.(c)(1)(B). https://olaw.nih.gov/policies-laws/hrea-1985.htm

  5. Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, National Institutes of Health. Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. (US Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA, 2015. https://olaw.nih.gov/policies-laws/phs-policy.htm

  6. Public Health Service. Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals – Frequently Asked Questions. Institutional Responsibilities, Question No. G.1. (US Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA, revised 2017). https://olaw.nih.gov/guidance/faqs#677

  7. Institute for Laboratory Animal Research. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. 8th Ed. pgs. 15, 34. (National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2011).

  8. Public Health Service. Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals – Frequently Asked Questions. Institutional Responsibilities, Question No. G.6. (US Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA, revised 2017). https://olaw.nih.gov/guidance/faqs#instresp_6

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Director, Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, OER, OD, NIH, HHS, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Patricia Brown VMD, MS, DACLAM

  2. Deputy Administrator, Animal Care, APHIS, USDA, Riverdale, MD, USA

    Betty Goldentyer DVM

Authors
  1. Patricia Brown VMD, MS, DACLAM
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  2. Betty Goldentyer DVM
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Patricia Brown VMD, MS, DACLAM or Betty Goldentyer DVM.

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Brown, P., Goldentyer, B. A Word from the USDA and OLAW. Lab Anim 50, 298 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41684-021-00874-0

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