Modernization of Small Animal Caging for infectious disease studies at the Boise VAMC

项目摘要 虽然指南接受用于饲养小动物的静态笼子，但通风笼子 成为小型畜牧业的黄金标准。静态锁定导致温度升高， 笼子里的湿度这导致可以促进微生物生长的潮湿垫料。作为 因此，需要增加动物垫料的更换，以保持卫生的生活条件。增加 频繁更换笼具具有多种不利影响。首先，需要更多的床上用品来安置动物 并产生更多的垫料废物。第二，每周多次换笼会增加耗水量 和脏废水的产生，因为笼需要在热水笼清洗机中进行消毒。第三，增加 处理动物可能对研究产生负面影响。四是频繁换笼增加 VMU人员暴露于动物皮屑和传染性病原体。该项目的目标是获得 资金，以升级笼在博伊西退伍军人事务医疗中心兽医医疗单位（VMU）从 从静态笼到通风笼。通过从静态笼舍转移到通风笼舍， 这提供了更好的空气流动，允许更好地控制笼子里的温度和湿度， 不仅改善了小动物的生活条件，而且增加了实验的严谨性和可重复性， 以及VMU人员的安全。

PROJECT SUMMARY While static caging for husbandry of small animals is accepted by the Guide, ventilated caging has become the gold standard for small animal husbandry. Static caging results in increased temperature and humidity in the cages. This results in wet bedding materials that can foster growth of micro-organisms. As a result, increased changing of animal bedding is required to maintain sanitary living conditions. Increased frequency in cage changing has multiple detrimental effects. First, more bedding is required to house the animals and generates more bedding waste. Second, multiple cage changes per week increases the water consumption and dirty wastewater generation as cages require sanitization in hot water cage washers. Third, increased handling of animals can have negative effects on research studies. Fourth, frequent cage changing increases the exposures of VMU personnel to both animal dander and infectious agents. The goal of this project is to obtain funds to upgrade the caging at the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU) from static caging to ventilated caging. By moving from static caging to ventilated caging the animals will be in housing that provides better air flow allowing for better control of temperature and humidity in their cages, improving not only the living conditions for the small animals but increasing the rigor and reproducibility of the experiments conducted in the VMU as well as safety of VMU personnel.