What's hot in animal biosafety?

In recent years, the emergence or re-emergence of critical issues in infectious disease and public health has presented new challenges and opportunities for laboratory animal care professionals. The re-emergence of bioterrorism as a threat activity of individuals or small groups has caused a heightened awareness of biosecurity and improved biosafety. The need for animal work involving high-risk or high-consequence pathogens and for arthropod-borne diseases has stimulated renewed interest in animal biosafety matters, particularly for work in containment. Application of these principles to animals retained in outdoor environments has been a consequence of disease eradication programs. The anticipated global eradication of wild poliovirus has prompted the promulgation of new biosafety guidelines for future laboratory and animal work. Increased concern regarding the use of biologically derived toxins and hazardous chemicals has stimulated a new categorization of facility containment based on risk assessment. Recognition that prion disease agents and other high-consequence pathogens require safe handling and thorough destruction during terminal decontamination treatment has led to the development of new biosafety guidelines and technologies. The implementation of these guidelines and technologies will promote state-of-the-art research while minimizing risk to laboratory animals, researchers, and the environment.     

北美国家大动物生物安全实验室的建设与管理

目的 为提高动物实验室生物安全意识,供大动物生物安全实验室设计、施工、使用和管理借鉴.方法 采用考察和分析的方法了解了北美国家大动物生物安全实验室的设计理念、设备、设施、动物试验及动物实验室管理.结果 大动物生物安全实验宝与我国畜牧业健康发展和社会稳定密切相关,我国与国外大动物生物安全实验室存在较大的差距.结论 我国应借鉴国外大动物生物安全实验室设计的理念,完善大动物实验室基础设施,增设相应的设备和提升动物实验室工作人员的生物安全意识.     

基于DPSEEA模型构建生物安全评价体系：以深圳市为例

由于生物安全内涵外延和基本要素的模糊性、评价指标及评价方法的多元性等因素的限制, 我国至今尚未形成全面有效的生物安全评价指标体系。为构建生物安全评价体系, 研判生物安全现状, 本文首先运用规范分析法剖析《生物安全法》中有关“生物安全”定义的特点及不足, 从国家安全角度认为生物安全是指国家有效防范和应对危险生物因子及相关因素的威胁, 维护和保障自身安全与利益的能力和状态。明晰了生物安全的外延, 即只有对国家安全利益、民众健康、生态环境保护产生威胁的生物风险, 才是生物安全所规制的对象。其次, 生物安全基本要素包括自然生物安全和社会经济生物安全。自然生物安全主要指民众健康和生态环境保护方面, 包括生物个体安全和生物多样性安全。社会经济生物安全的关注点在国家安全利益, 即社会稳定和国家经济利益, 包括生物技术安全、生物实验室安全。第三, 以生物安全基本要素为管理对象的尺度, 将国家安全利益、民众健康和生态环境保护作为评价主体, 以生物法治为理念, 运用模型构建法, 将定性指标和定量指标相结合, 基于驱动力‒压力‒状态‒接触‒影响‒行动模型(driving force-pressure-state-exposure-effect-action, DPSEEA)构建了一套具有生物法治特色的生物安全评价指标体系, 包括生物安全法律法规体系健全水平、生物安全所涉违法犯罪行为的打击力度、生物安全各部门机构协调机制的建立和完善程度、符合规定标准的生物实验室数量和百分比、生物安全人才数量及密度、对生物产业和基本卫生部门的官方援助及其他途径投资总额、疫苗覆盖的目标人群比例、生物安全的宣传教育普及率8项评价指标在内共32项生物安全评价指标。最后, 基于实地调研及数据统计分析, 以2019年和2020年深圳生物安全工作为例对评价体系进行验证。结果显示, 深圳生物安全工作在农业生物安全、动植物防疫、防范外来物种入侵方面成果显著; 但仍在法律法规体系、生物安全人才培养和资金投入、生物安全普及率方面存在不足。针对上述问题提出完善生物安全法律法规体系并注重法律协调衔接、“一个健康”实现多元协同生物治理、加强人才培养和资金投入、加强生物安全宣传教育等建议。     

动物生物安全隔离装置及其评价

本文讨论了动物生物安全隔离装置的定义、分类、选用、监测和评价。动物生物安全隔离装置的评价指标顺序遵循动物生存需要-生物安全需要-动物福利要求。     

Training strategies for animal care technicians and veterinary technical staff

An institutional training program for animal care and veterinary technicians should be planned and implemented to provide these individuals with knowledge and skills for performing their duties within a laboratory animal care and use program. The complexity in the regulatory and scientific features of the animal research environment necessitates a strong training program on diverse topics according to staff duties. Orientation training should include ethics and compliance with relevant laws, policies, and guidelines. Depending on specific staff responsibilities, training may be general or in depth on topics of species-specific biology and behavior, animal facility equipment and operations, animal health procedures, animal research policies, occupational health and safety equipment and practices, computer usage, training, and management. Staff training should be an ongoing mission for incorporating new equipment, practices, and procedures in the laboratory animal program; for providing periodic refresher training to maintain a high level of staff qualifications; and for retraining when skills or knowledge are found deficient. Large institutions often have a dedicated training staff to implement the institutional training program.     

Improving the biosafety of cell sorting by adaptation of a cell sorting system to a biosafety cabinet.

BACKGROUND: The jet-in-air cell sorters currently available are not very suitable for sorting potentially biohazardous material under optimal conditions because they do not protect operators and samples as recommended in the guidelines for safe biotechnology. To solve this problem we have adapted a cell sorting system to a special biosafety cabinet that satisfies the requirements for class II cabinets. With aid of this unit, sorting can be performed in conformance with the recommendations for biosafety level 2. METHODS: After integrating a modified fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) Vantage into a special biosafety cabinet, we investigated the influence of the laminar air flow (LAF) inside the cabinet on side stream stability and the analytical precision of the cell sorter. In addition to the routine electronic counting of microparticles, we carried out tests on the containment of aerosols, using T4 bacteriophage as indicators, to demonstrate the efficiency of the biosafety cabinet for sorting experiments performed under biosafety level 2 conditions. RESULTS: The experiments showed that LAF, which is necessary to build up sterile conditions in a biosafety cabinet, does not influence the conditions for side stream stability or the analytical precision of the FACS Vantage cell sorting system. In addition, tests performed to assess aerosol containment during operation of the special biosafety cabinet demonstrated that the cabinet-integrated FACS Vantage unit (CIF) satisfies the conditions for class II cabinets. In the context of gene transfer experiments, the CIF facility was used to sort hematopoietic progenitor cells under biosafety level 2 conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The newly designed biosafety cabinet offers a practical modality for improving biosafety for operators and samples during cell sorting procedures. It can thus also be used for sorting experiments with genetically modified organisms in conformance with current biosafety regulations and guidelines.     

The role of a clinical veterinarian in a safety assessment testing facility

A clinical veterinarian working in a safety assessment testing facility must balance animal welfare concerns with the attainment of sound, reproducible data necessary for regulatory studies. Drawing on her experience as a clinical veterinarian with specialty training in the field of toxicology, and past experience as a Study Director on safety assessment studies, the author describes practices that facilitate the veterinarian's role to ensure animal welfare on safety assessment studies.     

Components of gene therapy experimentation that contribute to relative risk

Gene therapy is the purposeful delivery of genetic material to somatic cells for the purpose of treating disease or biomedical investigation. Either viral or non-viral vector methods can be used. The risk of collateral exposure of laboratory animal care personnel to gene therapy vectors is dependent on a number of factors. These factors are intrinsic to the gene therapy vector (the vehicle for genetic conveyance), product encoded by the genetic construct delivered, method of delivery, and immune status of the recipient. The component risks of gene therapy experiments can be analyzed to surmise the overall relative risk of the experiment. Knowledge of the components that contribute potential hazardous risk to a study can assist animal care staff in identifying area(s) where prudent practices should be focused. Gene therapy experiments involving viral vectors are generally performed at either biosafety level 2 or 3. The objective of this review is to report on various components of gene therapy experiments, focusing on characteristics of viral and non-viral vectors, to assist the laboratory animal science community in determining prudent biosafety practices.     

Risks faced by laboratory workers in the AIDS era.

Laboratory workers are at occupational risk of exposure to microrganisms that cause a wide variety of diseases, from inapparent to life-threatening ones. Principal routes of transmission include percutaneous and permucosal inoculation (comprising clinical inapparent cutaneous or mucosal exposure to blood or blood products), inhalation, and ingestion. The appearance of the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic and the first reports of occupational Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections in health care workers resulted in high anxiety among laboratory workers. Indeed, 21% of worldwide documented cases of occupational HIV infection occurred among laboratory workers. Research laboratories pose the highest risk of infection. Safe methods for managing infectious agents ("containment") in the laboratory setting include laboratory practice and technique, safety equipment, and facility design. Infection control in the laboratory setting should take into account adherence to guidelines (biosafety levels), education and training, and the development of safety products designed to reduce the risk of exposure.     

四种麻醉药物对食蟹猴麻醉效果分析和选择应用

目的分析比对速眠新、氯胺酮、异氟烷和利多卡因4种不同麻醉药对食蟹猴的麻醉效果。方法总结实际工作中分别使用四种不同麻醉药物对食蟹猴作用的麻醉特点。结果速眠新、氯胺酮、异氟烷均能获得较好的麻醉效果,能满足不同手术、采样需要;局麻药利多卡因对食蟹猴麻醉的实际应用不理想。结论食蟹猴的手术及其他侵犯性操作等都应该考虑生物安全和动物福利要求,实行麻醉,但应根据食蟹猴实验内容要求和不同麻醉药特点选择合适的麻醉方法,确保人员和动物安全,实验结果不受影响。     

Institutional responsibilities in contamination control in research animals and occupational health and safety for animal handlers

The mechanisms for controlling microbial contamination in research animals are similar to those for preventing exposure among animal handlers to naturally occurring pathogens, research-related biohazards, or animal allergens. Research and resource preservation are the primary goals of each approach, and an appropriate assessment of risk is their foundation. The identification of potential risks enables the implementation of relevant risk management or control measures. This article summarizes the components of an occupational health and safety program for animal handlers, including screening, training, work practices, effective use of engineering controls, selection and use of personal protective equipment, and emergency response protocols. The features of a risk assessment and risk management program and the level of interaction and training required to implement and sustain the program correlate well with programs designed to control microbial contamination in laboratory animals. This article includes an explanation of the five Ps of risk assessment and risk management. Pathogens and the proposed experimental procedures account for the first two Ps; the other three focus on training and awareness of the personnel involved in the experiment, protective equipment and work practices, and factors associated with the place (or facility) where the research will be conducted. Animal handlers comprehension and knowledge determine the success of any containment program, and so this review also includes a discussion of critical teaching points for animal handlers and of the importance of evaluating personnel to verify their proficiency and competence in required protocols.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of training strategies: performance goals and testing

The Public Health Service policy, Animal Welfare Act regulations, and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals all require that institutions provide training for personnel engaged in animal research. Most research facilities have developed training programs to meet these requirements but may not have developed ways of assessing the effectiveness of these programs. Omission of this critical activity often leads to training that is ineffective, inefficient, or unnecessary. Evaluating the effectiveness of biomedical research and animal care training should involve a combination of assessments of performance, competence and knowledge, and appropriate tests for each type of knowledge, used at appropriate time intervals. In this article, the hierarchical relationship between performance, competence, and knowledge is described. The discussion of cognitive and psychomotor knowledge includes the important distinction between declarative and procedural knowledge. Measurement of performance is described and can include a variety of indirect and direct measurement techniques. Each measurement option has its own profile of strengths and weaknesses in terms of measurement validity, reliability, and costs of development and delivery. It is important to understand the tradeoffs associated with each measurement option, and to make appropriate choices of measurement strategy based on these tradeoffs arrayed against considerations of frequency, criticality, difficulty of learning, logistics, and budget. The article concludes with an example of how these measurement strategies can be combined into a cost-effective assessment plan for a biomedical research facility.     

新冠疫情下野生动物资源保护与利用的生物安全问题思考

自2019年底以来,全球范围内爆发了新型冠状病毒SARS-CoV-2引起的COVID-19大流行。SARS-CoV-2与蝙蝠来源的严重急性呼吸综合征(SARS)样冠状病毒高度同源,且穿山甲等野生动物中也鉴定出了同源性高的SARS样冠状病毒,提示SARS-CoV-2的源头与野生动物有关,野生动物资源利用与保护相关的生物安全问题凸显。在此背景下,本文介绍了常见的人畜共患病毒,提出了人类在利用野生生物资源时如何预防此类病毒的建议和思考。呼吁全社会应高度重视野生动物资源生物安全问题,形成"动物的健康即人类的健康、坚决不吃野味"的全民共识。     

Coping with lab animal morbidity and mortality: a trainer's role

The author discusses the role of an animal research facility trainer in helping to teach laboratory animal facility staff how to recognize negative behavior patterns, manage grief, and help to prevent feelings of guilt.     

布鲁菌病的生物安全及防控

布鲁菌病(brucellosis)是布鲁菌入侵机体引起的传染-变态反应性人兽共患传染病,易被忽视。该病严重威胁人类健康,影响畜牧业、旅游业的发展,阻碍正常国际贸易,还会造成食品安全隐患。布鲁菌可通过消化道、呼吸道及皮肤黏膜破损处等途径传播至人。人群对布鲁菌的易感性无年龄和性别差异,可通过直接或间接接触感染。从事布鲁氏菌研究的实验室操作人员有发生实验室获得性感染的风险,但可通过有效的生物安全防护措施避免感染的发生。布鲁菌病是一种可防可控的疾病,必须早期诊断和正确治疗,防止疾病慢性化。本文对布鲁菌病的生物安全及其防控原则进行介绍。     

Factors Influencing Owner Satisfaction With Companion-Dog-Training Facilities

The aim of this study was to survey people currently attending companion-dog-training facilities about their reasons for attending training, their expectations prior to training, their training experiences, and the factors contributing to their satisfaction with these experiences. The 178 participants indicated that they experienced few canine behavioral difficulties prior to attending training, with factors other than dog behavior influencing their decision to attend a particular facility. Features identified as important were characteristics of the instructors and the facility itself, opportunities for the dog caretaker (owner) to develop dog-training skills and knowledge, and specific canine behavior outcomes. Satisfaction was a multidimensional concept: satisfaction with the instructors and facility being dissociable from satisfaction with progress made by the dog and handler. Each of these represented different aspects of the training experience. Training facilities may need to address a wide range of issues to engage additional dog owners in training activities. Identification of these issues is an important first step in this process.     

Factors influencing owner satisfaction with companion-dog-training facilities

The aim of this study was to survey people currently attending companion-dog-training facilities about their reasons for attending training, their expectations prior to training, their training experiences, and the factors contributing to their satisfaction with these experiences. The 178 participants indicated that they experienced few canine behavioral difficulties prior to attending training, with factors other than dog behavior influencing their decision to attend a particular facility. Features identified as important were characteristics of the instructors and the facility itself, opportunities for the dog caretaker (owner) to develop dog-training skills and knowledge, and specific canine behavior outcomes. Satisfaction was a multidimensional concept: satisfaction with the instructors and facility being dissociable from satisfaction with progress made by the dog and handler. Each of these represented different aspects of the training experience. Training facilities may need to address a wide range of issues to engage additional dog owners in training activities. Identification of these issues is an important first step in this process.     

Environmental influences on the production of pre-implantation embryos

Generation and cryopreservation of transgenic mice depend on reliable and continuous production of pre-implantation embryos. To suppress circannual and circadian rhythms driving the physiological and sexual behaviour of free living animals, laboratory animals are housed under standardized conditions. It remains to be elucidated if the artificial climate can cover all environmental effects. Here, we report that the humidity in an animal facility affects the embryo yield. The weather at the location of the facility, especially the temperature, influences the climate within an animal facility; weather peaks are obviously covered in part only, even if the facility is equipped with a powerful air-conditioning supply. Subsequently, external weather changes interact with the environment within the facility, influencing the production of embryos. Furthermore, noise and/or vibrations as generated by construction works, negatively affect the embryo yield.     

A user-friendly approach to cost accounting in laboratory animal facilities

Cost accounting is an essential management activity for laboratory animal facility management. In this report, the author describes basic principles of cost accounting and outlines steps for carrying out cost accounting in laboratory animal facilities. Methods of post hoc cost accounting analysis for maximizing the efficiency of facility operations are also described.     

湖北省实验动物设施环境控制中存在的问题

目的分析总结湖北省2012年度实验动物许可单位年检中环境设施的检测结果,找出问题,提出促进湖北省实验动物环境设施可靠运行的建议。方法各实验动物环境设施采用30%区域抽检方式,依据GB14925-2010《实验动物环境及设施》,进行环境指标检测。结果除气流速度、沉降菌最大平均浓度外,其他技术指标均存在不符合国家标准的情况。结论应针对实验动物设施管理加强培训,提高实验动物设施管理人员的管理水平,从而保证实验动物设施的正常运行。