AAALAC's Reference Resources
AAALAC relies on Three Primary Standards for evaluating laboratory animal care and use programs: the eighth edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Guide, NRC 2011); the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching (Ag Guide, FASS 2010); and the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes, Council of Europe (ETS 123); along with other widely accepted guidelines. AAALAC International also refers to other specialty publications for supplemental information about procedures or techniques related to the care and use of laboratory animals. These specialty publications are designated as Reference Resources. Reference Resources, first established by AAALAC in 1975, are intended to serve as references and guidelines for laboratory animal care and use programs. Reference Resources are formally reviewed and adopted by the Council and assist site visitors as they evaluate animal programs. Below is a list of the reference resources utilized by Council and information on where to obtain them.
General
Biosafety
Education
Euthanasia
Health Monitoring
Occupational Health and Safety
Research Related
Administration of Substances and Removal of Blood
Animal Surgery
DNA Research
Humane Endpoints
Neoplasia
Neuroscience and Behavioral Research
Species Specific
Agricultural
Amphibians and Reptiles
Dogs
Nonhuman Primates
Rodents and Lagomorphs
Wild Animals
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General
AAALAC International Position Statements
FELASA Guidelines: FELASA guidance paper for the accreditation of laboratory animal diagnostic laboratories
http://www.felasa.eu/recommendations/guidelines/guidance-paper-for-the-accreditation-of-laboratory-animal-diagnostic-labora/
FELASA Guidelines: FELASA - Quick reference guide on laboratory animal feeding and nutrition http://www.arsal.ro/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Guide-Nutrition1.pdf
Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals
Canadian Council on Animal Care. Volume 1 (2nd. Edition), 1993. (Adopted May 1999) Canadian Council on Animal Care, 1510-130 Albert St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 5G4. http://www.ccac.ca/en/CCAC_Programs/Guidelines_Policies/PDFs/ExperimentalAnimals_GDL.pdf
Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals
Canadian Council on Animal Care. Volume 2, 1984. (Adopted May 1999) Canadian Council on Animal Care, 1510-130 Albert St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 5G4. http://www.ccac.ca/en/CCAC_Programs/Guidelines_Policies/GDLINES/Guidelis.htm
Guidelines for construction and equipment of hospital and medical facilities. AIA Press, 1993. AIA Press, 1735 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC. 202/626-7332.
Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008*
William A. Rutala, David J. Weber, and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC)
Centers for Disease Control, Department of Health and Human Services, 2008
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/guidelines/Disinfection_Nov_2008.pdf
*Note: AAALAC International wishes to clarify three points (specific pages indicated) when this Guideline is applied to animal care and use programs:
- Page 18 – The Council on Accreditation notes that laparoscopic/arthroscopic devices that enter sterile tissue must be sterilized before use.
- Page 22 – The Council on Accreditation notes that this discussion is specific to Clostridium difficile, and that routine use of rectal thermometers to assess animal health may not dictate high-level disinfection between uses.
- Page 70 – The Council on Accreditation acknowledges the requirement to ensure that instruments are clean before insertion into hot bead sterilizers; otherwise, this method is endorsed by the Council.
Institutional Administrator's Manual for Laboratory Animal Care and Use.
DHHS Pub., (NIH) No. 88-2959, 1988. Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, National Institutes of Health, RKL I, Suite 360, MSC 7982, 6705 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-7982. olaw@od.nih.gov
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Guidebook.
2nd Edition, 2002. Office of Laboratory Animal Welfares/Applied Research Ethics National Association. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/IAMLACUbooklet.doc
Medical Records for Animals Used in Research, Teaching, and Testing: Public Statement from the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, ILAR Journal Vol. 48, No. 1 (2007). http://www.aclam.org/Content/files/files/Public/Active/position_medrecords.pdf
National charter on the ethics of animal experimentation (France):
Report of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine on Adequate Veterinary Care in Research, Testing, and Teaching. 1996. (Adopted September 1996) ACLAM, 200 Summerwinds Drive, Cary, NC 27511. http://www.aclam.org/education/guidelines/position_adequatecare.html
Biosafety
Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (5th edition).
HHS Pub. No. (CDC) 21-1112, Dec 2009. Division of Occupational Health and Safety, NIH, Bldg. 13, Rm. 3K04, 13 South Drive, MSC 5760, Bethesda, MD 20892. 301/496-2960. http://www.cdc.gov/biosafety/publications/bmbl5/index.htm
Guidelines for Biosafety Laboratory Competency, CDC and the Association of Public Health Laboratories, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MMWR 2011;60(Suppl). Click here download PDF copy.
Education
FELASA Guidelines: FELASA recommendations on the education and training of persons working with laboratory animals: Categories A and C
http://www.felasa.eu/recommendations/recommendation/recommendations-on-education-and-training-categories-a-and-c/
FELASA Guidelines: FELASA guidelines for education of specialists in laboratory animal science (Category D)
http://www.felasa.eu/recommendations/guidelines/guidelines-for-education-of-specialists-in-las-category-d/
FELASA Guidelines: FELASA recommendations for the education and training of persons carrying out animal experiments (Category B)
http://www.felasa.eu/recommendations/recommendation/recommendations-on-education-and-training-categories-b/
Euthanasia
AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia
(Formerly Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia) June 2007.
http://www.avma.org/resources/euthanasia.pdf
Euthanasia of Experimental Animals. European Commission. DGXI, 1995. (Adopted May 1999)
Report of the ACLAM Task Force on Rodent Euthanasia*. Artwohl J, Brown P, Corning B, Stein S. ACLAM Task Force. JAALAS. 45(1):98-105, 2006.
*This reference was adopted by the Council on Accreditation with the following caveats:
- Hypothermia is identified as an accepted method for inducing anesthesia in rodent fetuses (B. Euthanasia of Fetuses 2.d.) or pups 6 days of age or less (C. Euthanasia of Neonates 1.f.). This practice is common in the United States, but may not be accepted internationally. Suitability of this technique should be determined on a case-by-case basis with consideration of input from the Attending Veterinarian and the IACUC or other oversight body.
- The science surrounding the use of carbon dioxide for rodent euthanasia is evolving. At present, there is no universally accepted procedure for euthanizing rodents using carbon dioxide. Participating institutions should be aware that updates to the science may result in refined methodology and may alter the Council on Accreditation’s view of the methods described in this report.
Health Monitoring
FELASA Guidelines: FELASA recommendations for the health monitoring of breeding colonies and experimental units of cats, dogs and pigs
http://www.felasa.eu/recommendations/recommendation/recommendations-for-health-monitoring-of-cats-dogs-and-pigs/
FELASA Guidelines: FELASA recommendations for the health monitoring of breeding colonies and experimental units of calves, sheep and goats (2000) 34:329-350. http://la.rsmjournals.com/cgi/reprint/34/4/329.pdf
FELASA Guidelines: Recommendations for the health monitoring of rodent and rabbit colonies in breeding and experimental units http://la.rsmjournals.com/cgi/reprint/36/1/20
Occupational Health and Safety
Criteria for a recommended standard occupational exposure to waste anesthetic gases and vapors; DHEW Pub. No. (NIOSH) 77-140, March 1977. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/77-140.html
Health and Safety in Laboratory Animal Facilities. 1999. Royal Society of Medicine Press Ltd. (M. Smith and M. Wood, Eds.). 249pp. http://www.rsmpress.co.uk/bkwood.htm
Occupational Health and Safety in the Care and Use of Research Animals
1997. National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences. (Adopted September 1997) National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Ave., NW, Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055. 800/624-6242. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/4988.html
Recommendations for Prevention of and Therapy for Exposure to B Virus (Cercopithecine Herpesvirus 1), Cohen JI, Davenport DS, Stewart JA, Deitchman S, Hilliard JK, Chapman LE. 2002 Nov 15; Clinical Infectious Diseases 35(10):1191-1203. http://www.cdc.gov/herpesbvirus/index.html
Research Related
Administration of Substances and Removal of Blood
A good practice guide to the administration of substances and removal of blood, including routes and volumes. J Appl Toxicol 21(1):15-23. Diehl KH, Hull R, Morton D, Pfister R, Rabemampianina Y, Smith D, Vidal JM, van de Vorstenbosch C (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries Association and European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods). 2001.
http://web-serv.univ-angers.fr/Images/documents/Labo/ethicAnimal/good_practice_lab_animals.pdf
Animal Surgery
Guidelines for Animal Surgery in Research and Teaching,
Am J Vet Res, 1993, 54:1544-1559. AVMA, 930 N. Meacham Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60196. 800/248-2862.
DNA Research
NIH GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH INVOLVING RECOMBINANT DNA MOLECULES (NIH Guidelines) September 2009 (updated 2011)
http://oba.od.nih.gov/rdna/nih_guidelines_oba.html
Humane Endpoints
Guidance document on the recognition, assessment, and use of clinical signs as humane endpoints for experimental animals used in safety evaluation. November 2000. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Environmental Health and Safety Publications, Series on Testing and Assessment, No. 19. http://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/displaydocumentpdf?cote=ENV/JM/MONO(2000)7&doclanguage=en
Neoplasia
UKCCCR Guidelines for the Welfare of Animals in Experimental Neoplasia (2nd Edition). United Kingdom Co-ordinating Committee on Cancer Research, London 1997.
Neuroscience and Behavioral Research
Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research (NRC 2003). http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10732.html
Species Specific
Agricultural
Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching (Ag Guide), Federation of Animal Science Societies, FASS 2010. http://fass.org/docs/agguide3rd/Ag_Guide_3rd_ed.pdf
Amphibians and Reptiles
Guidelines for Use of Live Amphibians and Reptiles in Field and Laboratory Research*.
*This reference was adopted by the Council on Accreditation with the caveat that Council requires aseptic technique when conducting survival surgeries and that fixation in formalin must be preceded by anesthesia or euthanasia. It is maintained by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. http://www.asih.org/files/hacc-final.pdf
Dogs
Laboratory Animal Management: Dogs. 1994. National Research Council. (Adopted September 1998). http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=2120
Nonhuman Primates
FELASA Guidelines: Health monitoring of non-human primate colonies
healthmonitoringNHP.pdf
FELASA Guidelines: Sanitary aspects of handling non-human primates during transport (1997) 31: 298-302. http://la.rsmjournals.com/cgi/reprint/31/4/298.pdf
The Psychological Well-Being of Nonhuman Primates.
National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1998. (Adopted January 1999) National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Ave., NW, Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055. 800/624-6242. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/4909.html
Rodents and Lagomorphs
FELASA Guidelines: Pain and distress in laboratory rodents and lagomorphs (1994) 28: 97-112. http://la.rsmjournals.com/cgi/reprint/28/2/97.pdf
Laboratory Animal Management: Rodents. 1996.
National Research Council. (Adopted September 1998) http://www.nap.edu/books/0309049369/html/index.html
Wild Animals
Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research. Journal of Mammalogy, 92(1):235-253, 2011 (http://www.mammalsociety.org/uploads/Sikes%20et%20al%202011.pdf)
Clarification: The ASM Guidelines indicate on page 240-241 that the USDA Animal Welfare Act exempts institutions from IACUC review of field studies. AAALAC International makes no distinction between laboratory and field studies and requires that field studies performed at AAALAC accredited institutions have some degree of IACUC oversight based on risk assessment, harm: benefit analysis and hazard identification. An IACUC may determine the nature of the oversight and categorization of pain or invasiveness for field studies ranging from purely observational projects which potentially have no adverse effect on animals being observed to more invasive protocols such as trapping, anesthesia and surgery.
Clarification: The ASM Guidelines indicate on page 240 that USDA Category D is appropriate for a conscious animals in pain or distress where a kill trap fails to bring about swift death. AAALAC International interprets conscious animals experiencing unrelieved pain and distress to be placed in USDA Category E. Each IACUC must carefully determine the degree of invasiveness, report USDA Category of Invasiveness for regulated species in the United States and ensure that proposed studies are in compliance with the Guide with special attention given to studies involving potentially distressful or painful procedures such as capture, handling, confinement, transportation, anesthesia, euthanasia or invasive procedures.
Clarification: AAALAC International underscores the need for scientific justification and IACUC approval for toe clipping, particularly with regard to withholding anesthetics and analgesics (page 245).
Exception: AAALAC International does not endorse thoracic compression of conscious, small mammals (page 249) as a means of euthanasia, as this technique is considered conditionally acceptable only for small birds by the 2007 AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia*.
Exception: AAALAC International does not endorse drowning as a means of euthanasia (pg 243), as drowning is not considered acceptable by the 2007 AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia*
*pending publication of new AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia.
Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research* (3rd Edition – 2010, The Ornithological Council). http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET/guide/guidelines.html?Operation=ENTER+HERE+%7E+English
*This reference was adopted by the Council on Accreditation with the following clarification and exceptions:
Clarification: AAALAC International underscores the need for scientific justification and IACUC approval for blood collection by intracardiac route as a survival procedure under general anesthesia (pg 136).
Exception: AAALAC International does not endorse digit amputation as a route for blood collection but endorses nail clipping for blood collection with scientific justification and IACUC approval (pg.138).
Exception: AAALAC International does not endorse chilling of the surgical site as an acceptable analgesic (pg 176).
Exception: AAALAC International does not endorse performing a major invasive procedure (e.g. coeliotomy/laparotomy) without the use of a general anesthetic (pg. 173,174, 183, 186).
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