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 [1]

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 [2]
  • The Jackson Laboratory [3]
  • Charles River [4]

Contact Us:

• Please contact an OAR veterinarian at oar-veterinarian@uiowa.edu [5] 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 [6] or 335-9546.

From:    Heather Gipson, Assistant Vice President for Research Compliance

RE:          Mouse Rotavirus (EDIM) Update Communication

Date:     April 8, 2016

To:          Faculty and Research Staff Members

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. Below please find the latest information regarding the EDIM outbreak.

Initial Diagnostic Testing Results:

 

1.        All sentinels on housing racks in quarantine rooms have been tested

•           All racks with positive March quarterly sentinel results had repeated positive results (no false positives identified)
•           ONE rack with a negative quarterly sentinel result had a new positive result
•           Sentinels on all other racks (in rooms with positive racks) currently have negative results by serology

2.        All researcher cages on racks with positive quarterly sentinel samples have been tested

•           A total of 26 cages were identified with seropositive animals, of over 1000 cages tested
•           Due to the relatively low numbers identified, all identified seropositive animals have been euthanized with investigator consent to reduce the risk to the other animals both in and out of the quarantined rooms

3.        Samples from all housing cages on the newly-identified positive rack have been submitted and researchers in the affected racks will be contacted with results

Continued Health Monitoring of Quarantined Rooms:

 

1.        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

Continued Health Monitoring of Non-Quarantined Rooms:

 

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

• Sampling of sentinel animals in non-quarantined rooms is underway in ML and BSB to ensure early detection of potential spread
• Should positive results be obtained, rooms will be immediately quarantined and researchers in the affected racks will be contacted

Investigator Guidance:

 

6.      Successful quarantine and elimination of this virus requires conscientious observation of decontamination and hygiene procedures by all researcher staff, in addition to OAR personnel

• Any lab personnel unsure of the proper procedure for entering, exiting, or working within the quarantined animal rooms should contact the facility supervisor or veterinarian for training
• All lab staff in both quarantined and non-quarantined spaces should review decontamination procedures (http://animal.research.uiowa.edu/laboratory-decontamination-guidance [1])
• In addition to donning gloves whenever handling animals or animal equipment, hand-washing after glove removal is an important step in preventing cross-contamination with surfaces and materials in and out of the animal facility and lab spaces

7.      In addition to email updates, information regarding the EDIM outbreak will be regularly updated on our website: http://animal.research.uiowa.edu/mouse-viral-pathogen-identified [7]

Contact Us:

 

•           Please contact an OAR veterinarian at oar-veterinarian@uiowa.edu [8] 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 [9] or 335-9546.

Decontamination of Laboratory Surfaces

• Decontamination of laboratory spaces and research equipment is critical to avoid harboring potential pathogens and cross-contamination between animals
• All surfaces and equipment in laboratory areas should be cleaned with an appropriate disinfectant with documented activity against non-enveloped viruses
• Spor-Klenz is the recommended disinfectant to be used for lab decontamination of viral agents
  • A spray bottle of Spor-Klenz can be obtained from your OAR Facility Supervisor for laboratory use
  • Spor-Klenz is effective for 7 days after mixing; return the spray bottle for a replacement at least every 7 days
  • NOTE: Spor-Klenz requires 10 minutes of WET CONTACT TIME to effectively disinfect; spraying and immediately wiping the surface will remove dirt but does NOT kill viral agents
• Attention should be given to decontamination of shelves and materials stored above workspaces, in addition to the workspace itself

Decontamination of Equipment

• Equipment which can be autoclaved or cold sterilized with chemical agents should be sterilized (surgical autoclave settings, or according to chemical sterilant instructions)
• Items which can tolerate immersion should be cleaned with Spor-Klenz as described above, ensuring at least 10 minutes of wet contact time with the disinfectant 
• Contact your facility veterinarian for guidance regarding decontamination of equipment which cannot be sterilized or wetted for 10 minutes

Equipment and Materials Used in the Animal Room

• Laboratory personnel may enter the quarantined housing room(s) for necessary procedures which can be performed within the housing room
• Bring only critical materials which can be thoroughly decontaminated (autoclaved or immersed in Spor-Klenz) into the quarantined room
• Avoid bringing papers, pens, electronics, or other materials which cannot be decontaminated; if notes are required, enclose papers and writing utensils in plastic bags which can be decontaminated and will NOT be subsequently opened outside of the quarantined room
• Disinfect all cart surfaces where you may manipulate animals/cages prior to use
• After handling animals, disinfect all surfaces (including equipment and room carts) which may have had contact with the mice and/or their caging, using Spor-Klenz
• Before leaving the quarantined room, disinfect all materials which will be removed (instruments, sample containers, plastic-enclosed notes), ensuring 10 minutes wet contact time as described above
• After return to lab, autoclave instruments and use chemical sterilants for all materials which can tolerate sterilization
• Label any frozen tissue samples to be stored clearly to indicate potential pathogen contamination; pre-printed labels may be obtained from your facility veterinarian on request