Biosecurity in JHU Vivaria

RAR maintains its rodent vivaria as Specific Pathogen Free (SPF), meaning we exclude a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can impact animal health and/or research outcomes. View the list of Excluded Pathogens in different JHU rodent vivaria.

We perform quarterly surveillance testing in all of our rodent vivaria, using a combination of samples collected from animals and the environment, to identify the presence of any infectious disease outbreaks.

General Outbreak Procedures

If an outbreak is identified through our routine surveillance testing, the following general practices are implemented as soon as possible to limit the spread of the pathogen to other areas:

Outbreak Management Exemption: Animal Movement Request Form

Procedures

  • Outbreak notification: all PIs with animals housed in the affected room are contacted by email to distribute pertinent information. Signage is posted in the vivarium.
  • Quarantine of the affected room: no animals housed inside the room can exit the room, including to be housed in other vivaria, satellite facilities, or for terminal procedures, without prior approval from a veterinarian. Quarantined rooms are subject to Room Order Restrictions, meaning that they must be entered LAST in the day. Whenever possible, designate separate personnel to work in quarantined and non-quarantined spaces or have staff designate their time on different days to areas with different risk levels.
  • Enhanced PPE: Depending on the pathogen, additional PPE will be implemented and must be worn every time personnel enter the affected room. Contaminated PPE must then be removed and discarded carefully to prevent pathogen spread when exiting the room.
  • Confirmatory testing: depending on the pathogen and method of detection, additional samples may be collected from colony animals and/or the environment to confirm the presence of the outbreak.
  • Management strategies: depending on the pathogen, management of an outbreak may include treatment, breeding moratorium, and/or other strategies. It is critical to pay close attention to instructions and requests for information from RAR.
Have Questions About An Outbreak?

RAR recognizes the marked impact that infectious disease outbreaks have on research outcomes. Outbreak management is most successful when it is a collaboration between husbandry staff, veterinarians, and researchers. If your room is affected by an outbreak, we are here to support you in any way that we can to mitigate the impacts on your work and aid in outbreak resolution. In addition, if your room is not affected by an outbreak but you are concerned about potential spread due to proximity to quarantined rooms, ongoing collaborations, or any other concerns, please contact us.

Examples of assistance we can provide to individual labs

  • Individual consultations on experimental planning, including modifications or exemptions to outbreak management procedures, to mitigate risk while prioritizing research outcomes
  • Lab meeting visits to review the pathogen life cycle and management
  • Quarantine PPE refresher training
  • Steamer rentals for pinworm decontamination
  • Assistance with the decontamination of lab spaces
  • Satellite space establishment
  • Preventive measures to minimize the risk of outbreak spread or recurrence

Contact the Director of the Small Animal/Rodent Program, Dr. Isabel Jimenez, DVM, PhD, DACLAM, with questions or concerns.

Pinworm Outbreaks

There are multiple negative consequences of pinworm infections; therefore, treatment is essential. Pinworms cause chronic intestinal inflammation and have been implicated in altering immune responses, hematopoiesis, and the development of lymphoma. Immunocompromised animals sustain heavy infestation loads, which may result in death. The presence of pinworms also hinders our ability to collaborate with other institutions that exclude this pathogen.

Pinworm eggs are exceptionally hardy in the environment – they can resist desiccation and most common disinfectants and remain infective in the environment for weeks to months. Pinworm eggs stick to surfaces (including shoes, carts, and hoods) and can even be aerosolized. They are invisible to the naked eye. Because of their great potential for spread via fomites, it is essential to implement measures such as treatment and control of animals, equipment, and personnel movement. Once pinworms spread into common areas or contaminate shared equipment, it is very difficult to limit the spread. 

The following measures are in place for all rooms quarantined for pinworms:

  • Room order: work inside the quarantined room LAST in the day.
    • If you have animals in non-quarantined rooms, work in those rooms first before ever entering the quarantined room.
    • After being in a quarantined room, DO NOT return to any animal housing rooms, or work with any animals returning to other facilities.
    • Whenever possible, designate separate lab members to work in quarantined vs. non-quarantined rooms for the duration of the quarantine period.
  • Proper quarantine PPE use.
    • Wear additional PPE (gown and booties first, then double gloves) when working in the quarantined room, and then REMOVE and DISCARD the contaminated PPE properly to avoid spread.
    • Signage is posted inside and outside of the affected room and is attached here for reference.
    • Train all new members on quarantine PPE use and reach out to us if anyone requires any additional training from RAR.
    • We are offering a quarantine PPE refresher in-person (e.g. at your lab meeting), if you would like to set this up with us.
  • DO NOT move any animals out of the quarantined room to any other animal housing areas.
  • If you require any exemptions to animal movement restrictions (including moving cages to your lab/satellite for terminal procedures), all requests must be approved by a vet.
  • Minimize colony expansion (breeding, new animal orders) in the quarantined room. Since animals cannot move out of the room during quarantine, we do not want the room to become full.
  • When working in the quarantined room, bring in only items that can be disposed of inside the quarantined room immediately after use.
    • Once gloves have touched the animals or surfaces in the room, they are considered contaminated with pinworm eggs.
    • Do not touch phones, tablets, and other items with your gloves.
  • If you must bring non-disposable items in for your research, ideally these items should be dedicated to the quarantined space and remain in the room.
    • Contact us to discuss further if you need to leave items inside the room.
    • If items must be removed from the quarantined room, they must be thoroughly decontaminated after use. Spray and wipe down the items using unidirectional wiping with paper towels in the room, to mechanically remove eggs, as you exit the room. Then, further decontaminate the items once in your lab space.
  • DAS-PW: Defend Against the Spread of PinWorms by decontaminating all lab spaces, surfaces, and items that may be contaminated with pinworm eggs (contact with mice or supplies from quarantined rooms):
    • Dispose anything that can be disposed of
    • Autoclave anything that can be autoclaved
    • Steam clean with at least 30-60 seconds of contact time
    • ProKlean (manufacturer: Contec)– stabilized hypochlorous acid surface cleaner that is non-corrosive, and kills 95% of pinworm eggs after 10 min contact time
    • Wipe down surfaces afterwards with unidirectional wiping (least effective)
  • Always use microisolation technique to continue protecting our colony from other pathogens. However, Vimoba disinfectant does NOT kill pinworm eggs and is NOT sufficient as a sole barrier to pinworm transmission. This is why PPE as a physical barrier is so critical to limit pinworm spread.

Steamer Rental

Steam-cleaning is an effective method of decontamination that kills pinworm eggs. We recommend that each lab purchases their own steaming unit. RAR also maintains a limited number of steamers that researchers can check out.

RAR steamer rental request form

  • To rent an RAR steamer, fill out the RAR Steamer Rental Request Form. We will coordinate the rental schedule and set a return deadline based on the rental type. For first-time rentals, a member of RAR will meet with your lab to demonstrate proper use of the steamer and provide a quick-reference guide for each steamer model.
  • Rental Options:
    • Free Rental: Labs may borrow a RAR steamer for up to 2 business days (48 hours) at no cost.
    • Extended Rental: Rentals up to 1 week will incur a $30 fee.
    • Late Return Fee: A $30 fee will be charged for each additional day the steamer is returned past the agreed deadline.