Baboon Research Resource Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) Group Caging

描述（由申请人提供）：OUHSC狒狒研究资源（BRR）的使命是提供高质量、健康和行为正常的狒狒，以支持生物医学和行为研究。狒狒长期以来一直被用于生物医学研究，在某些应用中比其他灵长类动物具有相当大的优势。然而，狒狒体内含有许多已知会感染人类和其他灵长类动物的疱疹病毒和逆转录病毒的类似物。这些病毒构成了研究动物的正常植物群，对研究结果的有效性有相当大的影响。由于这一事实，并且因为我们的资源可以提供“清洁”的替代品，我们收到越来越多的调查人员明确希望使用我们的无特定病原体（SPF）菌落中生产的狒狒的请求。尽管有这个成功的指标，但我们的一个担忧来自于这样一个认识，即我们缺乏足够的笼子来提供环保型的住房，以跟上SPF狒狒数量稳步增长的步伐。目前，狒狒的SPF群体被安置在动物资源附件（ARA）。传统和SPF狒狒饲养在ARA中的单个和小组笼中，这些笼最初设计用于饲养参加研究的狒狒。为了将SPF狒狒与传统狒狒分开，并适应不断增长的SPF繁殖群体，需要额外的笼养。SPF菌落搬迁到CMRR大楼将促进SPF计划的扩展，该计划由于研究人员的需求而加速。要求提供资金，在CMRR大楼建造和安装8个帮派笼子，以满足我们不断扩大的SPF殖民地的住房要求。在提供最佳空间利用率的同时，所需的群笼安排将允许狒狒自我分类到反映其既定社会等级的区域，从而大大减少动物压力和创伤。易于捕捉动物是一个重要的设计元素，它既说明了实际问题，也说明了我们对狒狒丰富和福祉的坚定承诺。所提出的笼舍系统提供了一种安全但破坏性最小的住房配置，证明对于动物的安全分类是必不可少的，以便进行治疗、检查、技术程序或研究项目的移除。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The mission of the OUHSC Baboon Research Resource (BRR) is to provide high-quality, healthy and behaviorally normal baboons to support biomedical and behavioral research. The baboon has long been used in biomedical research, and for certain applications has considerable advantage over other primate species. However, baboons harbor analogs of many of the herpesviruses and retroviruses known to infect humans and other primates. These viruses, constituting the normal flora of research animals, can have a considerable effect on the validity of research results. As a consequence of this fact, and because our resource can offer a "clean" alternative, we are receiving increased numbers of requests from investigators expressly wanting to use baboons produced in our Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) colony. In spite of this indicator for success, a concern of ours comes from the realization that we lack sufficient caging to provide environmentally-enhanced housing to keep pace with the steadily growing SPF baboon population. Currently, the SPF colony of baboons is being housed in the Animal Resources Annex (ARA). Conventional and SPF baboons are housed in the ARA in single and small group cages that were originally designed to house baboons enrolled in research studies. In order to separate SPF baboons from conventional baboons and to accommodate the growing SPF breeding groups additional caging is required. The relocation of the SPF colony into the CMRR building will enhance the expansion of the SPF program which has been accelerated due to demand from researchers. Funds are requested to build and install eight gang cages in the CMRR building in order to meet the housing requirements for our expanding SPF colony. While affording optimal space utilization, the desired gang cage arrangement will permit the baboons to self-sort into areas reflecting their established social heirarchies, thereby dramatically reducing animal stress and trauma. Ease of animal capture is a significant design element which speaks to both practical matters and our solid commitment to baboon enrichment and well- being. The proposed caging system offers a secure yet minimally disruptive housing configuration proven essential for safe sorting of animals for treatment, examination, technicial procedures, or removal for research projects.