Animal Use on the UIUC Campus
Policies Pertaining to the Care and Use of Animals in Research and Teaching



Policy on Import of Rodents into UIUC Animal Facilities

Background:

Laboratory rodents, particularly mice and rats, are susceptible to infection by a wide variety of microbial agents. Infection by one or more agents can have devastating effects on the research by rendering animal subjects worthless, either by making them sick or by inducing physiologic changes in the absence of overt illness. As such, control measures that minimize the risk of opportunistic infections of the rodent colonies is critical to both the research and veterinary care programs. The most important management practice relative to this goal is the exclusion from the facilities of animals of an undesirable microbial status.

Policy:

  1. Only animals originating from an approved commercial vendor or other approved source may be received into the UIUC animal facilities without undergoing additional screening, quarantine, rederivation, or other suitable monitoring or decontamination procedures. Approved vendor/source status is conferred by the DAR veterinary staff to institutions that provide suitable documentation of an acceptable disease control and surveillance program and that the source colony is free from all microbial agents of concern.

  2. Rodents originating from non-approved sources may be imported only under the following circumstances:
    1. If the source institution is able to supply suitable documentation indicating that the animals in question likely are free from all microbial agents of concern, they may be quarantined in one of the campus animal care units. The quarantine plan must include appropriate sentinel monitoring and must be approved by the DAR veterinary staff. The investigator or unit will be responsible for the costs associated with the quarantine program. Request form for importing animals.
    2. If the disease status of the source colony is uncertain or the source is known to harbor microbial agents of concern, the animals may be received only into the DAR Rodent Quarantine Facility (RQF). Animals received into this facility will be subject to the operating procedures and policies of the RQF.


Approved 2/18/99