Improving Animal Facility Management and Research Quality

摘要： 匹兹堡大学实验动物资源部（DLAR）管理着12只 在11栋建筑物中提供单独的设施。我们目前的老鼠普查超过33,000个笼子。 饲养工作人员需要进行大量工作，以进行每日笼舍监测，包括 饲料和水、垫料条件、笼舍和室温和湿度。 在COVID-19大流行期间，由于人员配备问题，DLAR从更换鼠标 IVC笼每7天至每14天一次。笼更换之间的额外7天导致 增加劳动力来监测食物和水的水平以及床上用品的状况。限位 改善笼舍和房间监测的系统是急需改进的， 设施管理的灵活性。 这项赠款旨在通过安装数字通风笼舍提供急需的笼舍 (DVC)和莱迪照明系统在三个拘留室里这些笼子 将允许一个试点计划，以确定他们的能力，以解决问题和关注的描述 以上这一拟议中的成功试点计划将为扩大这些 整个动物园的笼子系统。

ABSTRACT: The University of Pittsburgh Division of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) manages 12 separate facilities in 11 buildings. Our current mouse census is in excess of 33,000 cages. Significant effort is required by husbandry staff for daily cage monitoring including the presence of food and water, bedding condition, and cage and room temperature and humidity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, due to staffing issues, DLAR switched from changing mouse IVC cages every 7 days to every 14 days. The additional 7 days between cage changes caused an increase in labor to monitor food and water levels and the condition of bedding. Caging systems that would improve cage and room monitoring represent much-needed improvement and flexibility to facility management. This grant seeks funding to provide much needed caging by installing Digital Ventilated Caging (DVC) and Leddy Lighting System caging from Tecniplast in three holding rooms. These cages will allow a pilot program to determine their ability to address the issues and concerns described above. This proposed successful pilot program will provide justification for expanding these caging systems throughout the vivaria over time.