April 1, 2016 EDIM Update Communication

From:    Heather Gipson, Assistant Vice President for Research Compliance

RE:          Mouse Rotavirus (EDIM) Update Communication

Date:     April 1, 2016

To:          Faculty and Research Staff Members

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and patience as we continue to address the mouse viral pathogen (EDIM) outbreak in our mouse colonies.  We appreciate the challenges this situation has created for the research community and understand your concerns about research continuity.  We are working diligently to contain the outbreak and resolve the issue as fast as possible with the minimum possible impact.  To keep researchers apprised of developments in the process of identifying and eliminating the EDIM detected in the affected animal facilities, the Office of Animal Resources will be providing regular updates and communications to all faculty and Research Staff Members that utilize rodents in research. 

The OAR veterinarians and I are here to help.  Don’t hesitate to contact us directly if you have questions.

Safety:

• This virus is species-specific to mice and is not a hazard to humans, pets, or rats in our research colonies
• Appropriate personal hygiene precautions should also be followed in the animal facilities and research spaces; however, there is no risk to research personnel or the public from this agent

What we in OAR are doing and why:

1. Identification of Seropositive Animals (Confirmed Exposure to EDIM):

• As of 4/1/16, the following serology samples have been submitted for analysis:
  • Confirmatory samples from ALL sentinel animals in affected housing rooms, from all housing racks (this ensures the validity of the diagnostic testing)
  • Samples from ALL cages housed on racks identified with a positive sentinel sample
• As results are received from this testing, OAR veterinarians are contacting laboratories with positive results to remove positive cages from the colony to minimize the spread and arrange rescue of critical lines

2. Monitoring of Seronegative Animals in Quarantined Rooms (No Confirmed Exposure):

• Sampling of sentinel animals on all racks in quarantined rooms will continue at intervals appropriate to detect seroconversion

3. Monitoring of Seronegative Animals in Non-Quarantined Rooms in Affected Facilities:

• Sampling of sentinel animals in non-quarantined rooms will be performed with increased frequency to ensure early detection of potential spread

What you should do and why:

1. Continue to work with your facility veterinarian to facilitate research activities which can be performed within the quarantined spaces
2. Thoroughly decontaminate your laboratory spaces and animal equipment; best practices on decontamination and guidance can be found HERE

Resources for Rescue of Mouse Lines – Re-derivation and Cryopreservation:

• If you maintain commercially available lines, we recommend that you purchase your animals rather than breed in house
• For those of you that breed transgenic/specialty lines we recommend the Genome Editing Facility at UI for re-derivation and cryopreservation for long term protection of your lines
• Below is contact information for re-derivation.
  • University of Iowa Genome Editing Core
  • The Jackson Laboratory
  • Charles River

Contact Us:

• Please contact an OAR veterinarian at oar-veterinarian@uiowa.edu or 335-7985 with any questions or concerns regarding this communication; or
• Heather Gipson, Assistant Vice President for Research Compliance at heather-gipson@uiowa.edu or 335-9546.