Shutting down a working vivarium for decontamination.

Area of Science:

• Laboratory Animal Science
• Vivarium Management
• Infectious Disease Outbreak Control

Background:

• A sentinel monitoring program identified widespread infections, including mouse parvovirus, fur mites, pinworms, and epizootic diarrhea of infant mice, in over 90% of animal colonies.
• The affected vivarium at the Anschutz Medical Campus supports over 250 principal investigators across a 50,000 net square foot facility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the planning and execution of a facility-wide shutdown and decontamination process.
• To describe the rederivation or cryopreservation of over 400 unique genetically modified mouse lines.
• To analyze the successes and areas for improvement in managing a large-scale rodent disease outbreak.

Main Methods:

• Enhanced sentinel monitoring program implementation.
• Facility shutdown and comprehensive decontamination procedures.
• Rederivation and cryopreservation of genetically modified mouse lines.

Main Results:

• Over 90% of animal colonies tested positive for multiple infectious agents.
• Successful rederivation or cryopreservation of more than 400 unique genetically modified mouse lines.
• Identification of key project successes and areas for future improvement in outbreak management.

Conclusions:

• A large-scale rodent disease outbreak necessitates a strategic shutdown and decontamination.
• Preservation of valuable research models, such as genetically modified mouse lines, is critical during such events.
• Post-outbreak analysis provides valuable insights for refining animal health and facility management protocols.