Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
relationship with the source colony to understand that
colony's disease risk profile.
Facilities should also develop a set of clinical parame-
ters for animals they will accept (e.g. herpes B and retro-
virus negative, measles vaccinated, research na¨ve,
optimum body weight, etc.) with the goal of obtaining only
healthy, high quality animals. The decision on whether or
not to accept groups of animals is based on the needs and
risk assessment of an individual facility, but basic infor-
mation about each animal should be obtained no matter
what those requirements. Currently, the data provided by
commercial suppliers and NHP breeding facilities in
countries of origin varies in content, amount, and quality
and individual facilities must decide what best fits their
needs. The minimal acceptable database of information that
should be gathered on a potential NHP acquisition is listed
in Table 12.1 .
The dataset outlined above will allow facility personnel
to make a relatively informed decision about whether an
animal is acceptable for acquisition. As this data represents
only a snapshot of an animal's clinical condition, it should
be augmented by frequent communication with the supplier
throughout the acquisition process. Facilities acquiring
NHPs from commercial suppliers, other primate centers, or
universities should also demand a synopsis of any major
health problems that have occurred over the last 1
Facilities obtaining NHPs from nondomestic sources, or
from the outdoor colonies of domestic sources, should
demand a pre-shipment isolation or “quarantine” period for
all animals. An isolation period of 30 days should provide
ample time to establish the current overall condition of an
animal, to screen for any active or latent infections, to
provide appropriate treatment for any illness that may be
present, and to prepare the animal for what may be
a stressful and prolonged period of transit and quarantine at
multiple facilities. This isolation period can also be used to
acclimate an animal to its new environmental and social
conditions, as many animals purchased from countries of
origin and commercial suppliers may have been raised in
large social groups in corrals, pens, or corn cribs and may
not be accustomed to individual housing or the daily
husbandry routines and close human contact associated
with indoor life.
During pre-shipment isolation, it is recommended that
the following battery of evaluations and diagnostic tests be
performed to establish the true clinical condition of each
animal to be acquired:
Thorough physical examination under anesthesia.
l
Body weight and body condition scoring.
l
Complete blood count (CBC) and serum chemistry.
l
Rectal culture, fecal examination, pelage examination
to assess presence of infection/infestation with patho-
genic organisms.
l
2 years
e
in the source colony.
It is desirable to develop a close working relationship
with a select group of source colonies whenever possible to
improve the knowledge of disease risks in newly acquired
animals. A good working relationship will improve
communication between the source colony and the recip-
ient and afford the recipient the best chance of preventing
problems before they arise, or to identify potential prob-
lems early in the quarantine procedure.
Tuberculin skin testing (
2, 2 weeks apart).
l
Viral serology.
l
Other diagnostic tests can be requested to fulfill research
needs or if a facility has specific concerns or reasons to
take extra precautions. For example, chest radiographs
may be requested to evaluate for TB disease, a urinalysis
for subclinical renal or endocrine disease, or immuno-
logical profiling to meet the research needs of certain
investigators.
Proper treatment (e.g. antiparasitics, antibiotics, iron
dextran, etc.) or further diagnostics should be performed
based on the findings of this initial battery of tests. Animals
with evidence of marked clinical issues such as major organ
system compromise, deformities, or metabolic disease
should be rejected for shipment and removed from the
isolated population. The duration of the isolation period
should be of sufficient time to evaluate the effectiveness of
any prescribed treatment and any antiparasitic treatment
should take into account the prepatent period of the
organisms identified on initial testing. ELISA and PCR
testing may be performed on blood samples to verify the
viral status of the isolated animals if they are not from
a specific pathogen free colony.
As previously mentioned, prevention of infection with
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is not only a historic concern
but a current one as well. Guidelines published by the
TABLE 12.1
Minimal Database of Information for
Acquisiton of New Nonhuman Primates
Country of origin
Housing history
Feral or captive bred
TST history
Gender
Vaccination history
Actual/estimated birth date
Clinical history
Dam and sire (if known)
Surgical history
Weight history and current
weight
Clinical pathology results
(e.g. CBC, chemistry)
Reproductive history
Behavioral history
Viral serological history
Research utilization history
Permanent ID number
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