Animal cleaning, testing facilities

Proper facilities and care for test animals is not only a matter of regulatory compliance (and a legal requirement), but also essential for a scientifically sound and valid study. Husbandry requires clean cages of sufficient size and continuous availability of clean water and food (unless the protocol requires some restriction on their availability). Environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, and light-dark cycle) must be kept within specified limits. All of these must, in turn, be detailed in the protocols of studies. The limits for these conditions are set forth in relevant NIH and USDA publications. 

Parts 58.41 through 58.51 cover the physical facihties of the laboratory. The inspector must determine whether or not the facilities are of adequate size and design for completed or in-process studies. The physical parameters and systems of the facilities as they are used to accommodate the various operations employed in the GLP studies are examined. Investigators also deal explicitly with the environmental control and monitoring procedures for critical areas, especially the rooms used for animal housing, the test article storage areas, and the laboratory areas in which biohazardous material is handled. The procedures and methods for cleaning equipment and areas critical to study conduct as well as the cur-... 

Good animal care is critical at all times because toxicity has been shown to vary with diet, disease, and environmental factors. Animals should be quarantined for some time before being admitted to the test area, their diet should be optimum for the test species, and the facility should be kept clean at all times. Regular inspection by a veterinarian is essential, and any animals showing unusual symptoms not related to the treatment (e.g., in controls or in low dose but not high dose animals) should be removed from the test and autopsied. 

Mice can develop less arthritis in a clean(er) animal facility. Other factors, like stress, may also influence the development of arthritis. When moving to a new facility, first test whether the model still works before conducting new experiments. 

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