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> NCI-BETHESDA ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER

December 2004

Issue No: 4

**[Alternative to Footpad Injections]{.underline}**

Footpad injections are permitted when scientifically justified and only
on one hind foot. However, footpad injections are discouraged due to the
sensory function and anatomy of the site especially when inflammation is
expected.

Other institutes at NIH have successfully shown that it is possible to
obtain the same lymphatic drainage by subcutaneously injecting at the
border of the hairline on the skin proximal to the footpad (lateral
tarsal region), which is believed to avoid much of the pain, in part,
because it is not a weight-bearing, highly sensitive structure. For more
information or for a hands-on demonstration session contact one of our
veterinarians at 301-496-1866.

**[MIF (Mouse Imaging Facility) Users]{.underline}**

Effective immediately, LASP is improving NCI's practices involving
transportation of rodents to the Mouse Imaging Facility (MIF) in
building 10. LASP will take over the responsibility of transporting
rodents between all LASP run facilities and the MIF at no charge. A
memorandum will be sent to you with more details. A new form has been
developed to help implement and facilitate this process, which is
currently available through your facility managers and will be available
through our website shortly.

## What is AAALAC?

In summer of 2005, AAALAC International will perform a site visit at
NIH. AAALAC (Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of
Laboratory Animal Care) is an independent organization that reviews and
accredits laboratory animal care programs. They will visit animal
facilities **and** **laboratories**; talk with the technical staff,
individual scientists and students, senior administration officials, and
ACUC members. The site visit team will report its findings to the AAALAC
Council that will determine whether accreditation will be continued or
deferred, and what needs to be perfected.

AAALAC visitors examine the processes by which animal care is delivered,
i.e., how facilities are maintained, how protocols are reviewed, how
veterinary care is provided, and it assesses the quality and consistency
of implementation. It reviews organizational reporting lines, standard
operating procedures, the quality of husbandry and veterinary care.
AAALAC also evaluates whether the institutional structure effectively
deals with laboratory animal care issues. AAALAC- accredited status is a
reflection that NIH has a commitment to quality animal care and that
this commitment is substantive.

A team of site visitors will visit the NIH campus for several days. The
site visit team consists of three or more senior laboratory animal
scientists: laboratory animal veterinarians, animal program managers and
scientists who work with animals in research.

Preparing for the AAALAC site visit means lot of work and the success
depends on how well we prepare as a team. This review occurs at
three-year intervals and provides an excellent opportunity to make
certain our program is in top-notch shape.

For starters, we are currently reviewing every active proposal and will
send emails to you to fine-tune anything that may have been overlooked
at the time of approval. We also ask that you review your proposals to
ensure that work is consistent with what is defined and approved in the
proposal, and submit any modifications as necessary.

We will also include "hints" at the end of our each newsletter on how
best to prepare for AAALAC. We look forward to working with you to get
ready.

###### **Mite Infection in ACRF Tower**

Fur mites, which are an excluded pathogen for most animal facilities
were recently detected in the NCI conventional Tower Facility in Bldg
10/ 13^th^ floor 127B. The source of infection has not been determined.
Six weeks of treatment will commence soon. Please speak with an NCI
Veterinarian for detailed information.

# New! Web Based PI Course

The *Guidelines for Principal Investigators* initial course is now
available as a web based training course. To access the course, go to

<http://oacu.od.nih.gov/training/index.htm>

**[Website Update]{.underline}**

In our September issue we mentioned that some of the pages of our
recently restructured website were still under construction. Most of the
pages under "Animal Technical and Veterinary Services" have now been
completed. Please visit at

[http://web.ncifcrf.gov/rtp/LASP/intra/ahtsb/default.asp](http://web.ncifcrf.gov/rtp/LASP/intra/default.asp)

**[Revised ASP and Modification Forms]{.underline}**

The NCI-Bethesda Animal Study Proposal and Modification forms were both
revised in October. You can download the new forms from our website at
the following link
<http://web.ncifcrf.gov/rtp/LASP/intra/acuc/beth/AnimalStudyProposal.asp>

These forms are updated periodically. Always visit our website to ensure
that you are working with a current version.

### NCI-ACUC Guidelines

The NCI-ACUC has approved the following new guideline:

[Blood Collection Guidelines for
Macaques](http://web.ncifcrf.gov/rtp/lasp/intra/acuc/beth/BloodCollectionGuidelinesMacaques.asp)

And revised the following existing guideline: [Animal Numbers
Justification](http://web.ncifcrf.gov/rtp/lasp/intra/acuc/beth/NumberJustificiation.asp)

## Preparing for AAALAC

**General:**

***Hint #1-** Keep lab neat and organized, this says a great deal about
the laboratory.*

***Hint #2 --** Is everyone working on the study listed on the proposal
and know where the proposal is located within the laboratory?*

***Hint #3 --** Are all the drugs in use listed on the proposal?*

**If surgery is involved:**

***Hint #4 --** Are instruments sterilized according to
[guidelines](http://oacu.od.nih.gov/ARAC/appendix/apptab3.htm)?*

***Hint #5 --** Is the surgeon and animal prepared according to
[guidelines](http://oacu.od.nih.gov/ARAC/surguide.htm)?*

***Hint #6 --** Is post-operative care being followed according to
proposal and [guidelines](http://oacu.od.nih.gov/ARAC/surguide.htm)?*

In our next issue: Endpoints, Safety Issues, Personnel Training

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