Microisolator Certification Training Packet
*ANYONE MORE THAN 15 MINUTES LATE WILL HAVE TO RESCHEDULE TRAINING*
The University of Arizona Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) has adopted the following
control measures:
Certification:
All persons requesting access to the Animal Facility who will be working in a mouse room whether the mice are
housed in IVC or conventional cages must complete the IACUC Mandated Hands on "MI certification" course prior to
access being granted.
Responsibilities:
Principle investigators are responsible for monitoring the training and abilities of those persons they supervise.
University Animal Care personnel are charged with the authority to observe and document failure(s) to obey MI
procedures.
SPF/”Clean” animals must be kept under conditions where bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other potential pathogens are
minimized; therefore the micro-isolation/IVC caging acts to protect these animals from a "dirty" environment.
Proper techniques assist in providing bio-containment to protect animals from diseases. Any break in
technique may compromise the health status of these animals.
Planning your work day: To insure that diseases are not brought into the animal room, always follow the room
letter designation (A-F), ensuring to enter higher designated areas first, and work with the animals before doing
anything else such as: autopsies on either animals or humans, surgery on either animals or humans, or providing
care for your own pet rodents (try to switch to evening hours for pet care). Furthermore, you should not enter the MI
room if you have a systemic bacterial disease like "strep throat".
HOW TO ENTER THE MI ROOM: If clidox bottle is hanging outside of room, spray clidox on floor just inside of the
animal room and swipe feet through while entering room. (BIOCONTAINMENT AREAS)
STERILE MOUSE ROOM
Enter the animal room and immediately put on in this order: cap and mask, yellow gown, and gloves. New supplies
are kept in a barrel marked “Gown-up Supplies”. . Protective clothing must be thrown away after each use or if it
becomes dirty or torn.
STANDARD(NON-STERILE)MOUSE ROOM
Follow the directions for the sterile room. However, cap and mask are optional.
(Please do not leave room wearing PPE. Remove PPE before you exit the room.)
Handling pans in the laminar flow hood/work station:
The goal is to maintain bio-containment and keep the animals in the cage from being exposed to any other animals or
possible diseases that may be in the room. It is recommended that only one cage of animals be placed in the hood
and opened at a time. Any time your gloved hands come out of the hood or touch the outside of the animals cage
you must disinfect your gloved hands with the Clidox solution when you bring your gloved hands back into the hood
and BEFORE touching anything, which is considered clean.
Step 1- Turn on the laminar flow hood if it is not a continuously operating hood
Step 2- CLEANING HOOD: Spray front sides and surface of hood generously with Clidox (No need to clean back
and inside top of hood) Wipe surface of hood with paper towels leaving hood still wet with Clidox.
Step 3- Clidox is a chlorine based solution and is corrosive to stainless steel, immediately after cleaning hood with
clidox follow with alcohol.
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Microisolator Certification Training Packet
Step 4- Pour enough Clidox solution into a mouse pan (to be used as the dip pan) and fill the forceps clidox container
with Clidox (optional for researchers). Use the pan to dip your hands, or use the spray bottle so that AT ALL TIMES,
YOUR GLOVED HANDS ARE WET WITH CLIDOX SOLUTION. Use the forceps container to rinse off and store
forceps between each use.
Step 5- Get pan of animals from rack and place pan on "dirty" side of hood.
Step -6- Remove MI lid and place lip down in hood, if examining animals in cage.
Step 7- Spray or dip gloves with Clidox solution (You just touched the outside "dirty" surface of the MI lid)
Step 8- Place clean equipment in the hood as needed, making sure to not bock air flow and maintain a clean and
dirty work area. Do not place feeder with food and Hydro-pac (or just food) directly on surface of hood. Feeder
should be placed in a clean empty pan if full access to the pan is needed or feeder can be placed on a clean paper
towel.
Step 9- If possible use the rubber tipped forceps to handle rodents (if you can't use forceps, use gloved hands which
are wet with Clidox solution).
Step 10- In sterile MI rooms use autoclaved pans, or in standard(non-sterile)MI rooms use clean pans, both can be
found in the room or obtained from the clean side of the cage wash to separate rodents, or to perform procedures.
NEVER PUT RODENTS, FEEDERS, HYDROPACS OR BOTTLES ON TOP OR INSIDE OF M.I. LID!
Step 11 -In IVC rooms the water valves inside the pans must be “charged” on the charging station before use to
ensure the valve is working properly.
Step 12- Replace MI lid. BE SURE LID IS ON CORRECTLY!
Step 13- Clean hood with Clidox and alcohol when finished working in room. Disconnect charging station from the
water hose. Turn off lights in hood and leave hood running, unless otherwise requested by the PI and hood is
“signed” stating to be turned off.
ROOM RULES:
• University animal care technicians have first priority in the room. If they need to use the hood you will be asked to
wait until they are finished.
•
Research staff must clean up the room after themselves. This includes cleaning of hood and taking dirty caging
to dirty cage wash area unless stated to leave caging in room.
•
No supplies can be stored in hood.
FACILITY RULES:
• Investigators and their technicians are responsible for covering animals with a sheet, lab coat, towels, pillow
cases, boxes or other suitable cover provided by their lab. DO NOT use new gowns from the gown bin.
•
Anytime you have mice to be PTS, DO NOT combine any more than 4 adult mice or 10 weanling in one pan.
This is per Federal Policy.
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Microisolator Certification Training Packet
THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
•
Not wearing the correct protective disposable clothes, or wearing disposable clothing improperly into the animal
room.
•
Opening a cage i.e. removing the micro-isolator top outside of the laminar flow bench.
•
Taking animals and holding them outside of the laminar flow bench
•
Allowing the filter paper to get wet, torn or dirty
•
Not wearing gloves, or not keeping gloves wet with Clidox
•
Not dipping or spraying gloved hands with Clidox after touching "dirty" surfaces
•
Not disinfecting equipment between groups of animals
•
Forgetting to turn the water bottles around during transport to lab and back to room or not placing a Hydropac in
an IVC cage when transporting them to the lab, if needed.
•
Forgetting to “charge” new IVC pans before placing on the rack with animals.
•
Not disinfecting the hood before and after use.
•
Forgetting to turn off lights in hood when done, especially in breeding rooms where this can adversely affect
breeding performance.
Violation Penalties:
FIRST VIOLATION: On the first occasion that ANY person fails to follow proper MI procedures, that person will be
required to repeat individualized MI certification within two weeks of the violation. PI is responsible for ensuring
person receives the required re-training and a fee for the training will be charged to the PI’s account. The principle
investigator for the project will be notified of the nature of the violation, the person involved, and the date of
completion of individualized re-certification. Continued violations will be reported to the IACUC and further penalties
will be determined by the IACUC.
Please report all suspected violations to The Facility Coordinator, CAF Miguel Diaz (621-1621), AHSC Cheryl
Johnson (626-6706) or BIO5 Cindy Richner (626-0744) (); they will investigate and report to the IACUC.
If you have any questions, please ask. If you need further assistance at
any time please contact UAC.
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Microisolator Certification Training Packet
University Animal Care – Using 3-Part Cage Cards
1) ACTIVATION: Select card packet for desired mouse
strain. Remove the next card in sequence.
3) Record the following information on the activation strip
(bottom) of the cage card:
• Circle the card designation:
 Wean = Animals counted against protocol
 Split = Animals not counted against protocol
CIRCLE “Split” FOR NEW BREEDER SET UPS

•
•
•
2) Record the following information on the main body
(middle) of the cage card:
• Sex (Male, Female, Either, Both)
• DOB (Date of Birth)
• Rec’d =Date card put into use AND Initials of person
using card
• Per Cage = Number of Animals – DO NOT LEAVE BLANK
• Other notes as desired
Date and Initial
Record number of animals in cage
CIRCLE“UAC” IF CARD IS ACTIVATED BY UAC
PERSONNEL.
Activation Strip (bottom of card)
1. Remove activation strip from main body at
perforation. Place into any black cage-card box
near entrance/exit to facility. Cards are collected
and activated daily.
2. Place main body of card and deactivation strip
(leave attached) into cage card holder.
3. DEACTIVATION: Once cage is emptied of original
mice, remove deactivation strip (top) from main
body of cage card. Place into any black cage-card
box near entrance/exit to facility for deactivation.
Cards are collected and deactivated daily.
Deactivation Strip (top of card)
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Microisolator Certification Training Packet
IF AN ACTIVATION OR DEACTIVATION STRIP IS MISSING INFORMATION, IT WILL BE HANDLED AS FOLLOWS:
o
Activation strip NOT DATED OR SUBMITTED: Card will be activated back to first date of last scan. This will result
in up to two weeks additional per diem charged.
o
Deactivation strip NOT SUBMITTED: Card will remain active until it has missed three consecutive scans. This will
result in a minimum of 4 (maximum of 6) weeks additional per diem charged.
o
Number of animals NOT INDICATED: Four mice will be counted against IACUC protocol.
o
“Wean” OR “Split” NOT CIRCLED: Animals will be counted against IACUC protocol.
Sexing Rodents
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