Services

Rodent Colony Health Assessment Program

Facility Health Surveillance

ULAR provides health surveillance within rodent animal facilities via a "Sentinel Program, Vendor reports, and Environmental testing."

Sentinel rodents belonging to ULAR are placed on each rack housing PI colony animals and are identified by a fluorescent pink cage card.
Sentinel rodents are exposed to dirty bedding from PI animal cages for a variable amount of time.
Samples are obtained from the sentinel rodents to allow for health surveillance of colonies on a quarterly basis.
Information is used for early detection of disease outbreak, to generate health reports for animals being exported, to maintain a high level of quality control with animal rooms.
Room entry order is assigned according to the health status of the animals housed in the room. Sentinel and environmental testing is also performed according to the health standard required.
For requirements of room entry order please review Health Status/Room entry order for Rodent Housing Areas.

Consists of reports and site visits.
- Including but not limited to sources of food, bedding and commercial animals coming into OSU.

Active testing and reports.
- Including but not limited to cage wash, autoclaves, and water sources within facilities using RODAC plates and biological indicators.

For more information contact: QAStaff@ular.ohio-state.edu.

Comprehensive testing for diseases within colonies is available on a case by case basis.

ULAR diagnostic workup of sick animals:
- May include serology, culture, and/or necropsy for gross and histopathologic findings.
- If for herd health and/or spontaneous disease, testing may be completed by ULAR staff at no charge to PI.
Clinical and anatomic pathology support, including histology and immunohistochemistry services is provided through the Comparative Pathology and Mouse Phenotyping Shared Resource http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/255.htm
Rederivation services are available on campus. For more information contact: QAStaff@ular.ohio-state.edu.
Training on techniques for sample collection for testing or necropsies as requested.
Support of GLP studies.
- Environmental testing of water and caging prior to and following studies.
- Personnel training for work on GLP studies.

Import (bringing new animals into OSU) is also known as animal requisition.

Animals ordered from approved vendors will be delivered directly into the animal facility.
Quarantine of all animals from non-commercial vendors and non-approved shippers to prevent disease transmission into the overall rodent community within OSU.
- Please review Guidelines for the Import/Quarantine of Rodents Into The Ohio State University.
- Includes: health surveillance reports reviewed prior to entry into quarantine, testing during quarantine and colony placement into the facilities after testing is completed.
- Coordination with investigators so that breeding can continue and genotyping samples can be processed during quarantine period.
- Determine appropriate housing within ULAR based on health status.
See How to Obtain Animals for specific information.

Export (transporting animals from OSU to outside universities and institutions).

Provides communication and health reports to universities and institutions receiving rodents from OSU.
Coordinates shipping of rodents to outside universities and institutions.
Please review the Guidelines for the Export of Rodents from the Ohio State University.
For specific instructions on where to obtain and submit requests for animal export See How to Transfer Animals.

For more information contact: animaltransport@osu.edu