Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician Exam 2023

Institutional Official (IO) - ANSWER-Submits the Animal Welfare Assurance of Compliance that the animal research program meets all relevant regulations and standards Skills required for ALATs - ANSWER-Feeding animals, changing animal bedding, and determining the sex of the animals Technician Registry - ANSWER-- Participation entitles you to be an RALAT - Status must be renewed after two years - Participation demonstrates a commitment to enhancing your knowledge and skill in animal husbandry RALAT - ANSWER-Registered Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician Animal Welfare Act - ANSWER-- Enacted by U.S. Congress in 1966 to establish legal standards for laboratory animal care and use - Governs the use in research of all warm-blooded vertebrates (living or dead), with some exceptions - Requires that minimum standards of care and treatment be provided for covered animals bred for commercial sale, used in research, transported commercially, or exhibited to the public - Specifically protects employees who report significant deficits in a research program Must be studied to prepare for the ALAT certification examination - ANSWER-- ALAT Training Manual - The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals Duties routinely performed by an ALAT - ANSWER-- Facility sanitation procedures - Record keeping - Animal husbandry The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals is composed of: - ANSWER-- Animal environment and housing - Euthanasia - Personnel qualification - Published by OLAW - Requires animal facilities to follow AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy) - ANSWER-- Federal mandate that applies to ferally funded research projects - Enforced by the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) - Covers all live vertebrates used/intended for use in research, training, experimental purposes, and biological testing - Requires animal facilities to follow AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals PHS Policy Coverage - ANSWER-All live vertebrates used or intended for use in research, research training, experimentation, biological testing, etc. Birds, mice, and rats bred for research Fish, amphibians, and reptiles Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) - ANSWER-- The agency responsible for enforcing the PHS Policy - Publishes The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals Animal use protocol - ANSWER-A document written by the Principal Investigator and approved by the IACUC, that describes and justifies the use of animals for a project Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) - ANSWER-- Responsible for ensuring that animal care at the facility conforms to the AWR - Responsible for ensuring that the animal research program is in compliance with applicable laws, policies, regulations, and guidelines - Reviews and approves the animal use protocol - Reports to the IO or CEO, per the AWR - Performs semi-annual inspections of the facility - Approves all work with vertebrate animals at the institution by reviewing each animal use protocol Animal Welfare Regulations - ANSWER-- Defines the roles of the different individuals in the animal facility (such as the attending veterinarian, the IO, and IACUC) - Published each year in the Code of Federal Regulations - Administered and enforced by the APHIS of the USDA - Requires laboratory animal research facilities with covered species to register with the USDA - Requires an IACUC to oversee the animal care and use program and to report to the IO or CEO AWA Covered Species - ANSWER-Hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs, and NHP's (living or dead) Species not covered by AWA - ANSWER-Mice of the genus Mus, bred for research Rats of the genus Rattus, bred for research Farm animals intended for use as food, fiber, or agricultural research Horses not used in research Birds Reptiles Fish Amphibians Invertebrates United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - ANSWER-- Requires that animal suppliers and research facilities maintain records of acquisition and disposal - Receives annual reports submitted by laboratory animal facilities - Administers the AWR IACUC Requirements of AWR - ANSWER-At least 3 members, including: - Chairperson - Veterinarian with training/experience in lab animal medicine - Public member (No more than three members may be from the same administrative unit) IACUC Requirements of the Guide - ANSWER-- Veterinarian with training/experience in lab animal medicine - Scientist using animals - Nonscientist - Public member IACUC Requirements of PHS Policy - ANSWER-At least 5 members, including: - Scientist using animals - Veterinarian with training/experience, and has program authority - Nonscientist - Unaffiliated member USDA and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) - ANSWER-- Charged with administering and enforcing AWR - Conducts unannounced site visits at least annually to inspect the facility; inspector looks at animals covered under AWA , reviews IACUC's semi-annual facility inspection reports, and then issues a report that is available to the public - Has the authority to stop the research being conducted at the facility if violations are not corrected promptly Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) - ANSWER-- 1966 federal law that allows citizens to obtain copies of most public records - Allows the general public to view the APHIS inspector's reports PHS Assurance (frequency) - ANSWER-- Describes the institution's program for the care and use of animals - Submitted by the IO to OLAW - Also called the "Animal Welfare Assurance Compliance Statement" The US Government Principles - ANSWER-- Incorporated into the PHS Policy in 1986 - Applies to all vertebrate species and to all studies receiving support from any federal agency - States that the IO must ensure it Institutional SOPs - ANSWER-Describe general procedures for "the way things are done here" Procedural SOPs - ANSWER-Describe procedures specific to each study Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs) - ANSWER-- Group of regulations that apply to animal and nonanimal research and safety studies funded/reviewed by the FDA and the EPA - Animal facilities must adequately train personnel, maintain current training files for personnel, establish a QA unit, and write SOPs for all husbandry and scientific procedures Quality Assurance (QA) Unit - ANSWER-- Independently monitors all phases of the research process ensure compliance with the GLPs, SOPs, and the study protocol - Individuals in this group should not be involved in the study being monitored The AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals - ANSWER-- Lists acceptable, acceptable with conditions, and unacceptable methods of euthanasia for different animal species - Required by the Guide and the PHS Policy upon animal facilities 3 Rs Principle - ANSWER-- Published in 1959 - Developed by two English scientists: zoologist William Russell and microbiologist Rex Burch - Replacement, Reduction, Refinement Replacement - ANSWER-Nonanimal alternatives should be considered: cell cultures, mathematical/computer models or lower forms of vertebrate/invertebrate models (3 Rs Principle) Reduction - ANSWER-The study should require only the minimum number of animals needed to obtain valid information if there are no alternatives to the use of animals (3 Rs Principle) Refinement - ANSWER-Efforts should be made to refine a procedure to minimize pain and distress from potentially painful procedures that animals may undergo. When judging the potential effect of a procedure, the pain for the animal should be assumed the same as it would for a human (one of the guiding principles in the care and use of laboratory animals) (3 Rs Principle) Where personnel may report concerns of animal misuse or mistreatment - ANSWER-Animal care supervisor, clinical veterinarian, director of animal resourses/lab director, or the IACUC Bioethics - ANSWER-Field of study concerned with the philosophical issues raised by some medical procedures and treatments Disaster Plan - ANSWER-- Details steps for disaster preparedness and response - Developed through collaboration of senior management and safety officials - All staff should be familiar with this - Necessary to post evacuation routes and clearly mark exits - Emergency contact info must be posted in common areas that have heavy traffic - Must include information about how to evacuate personnel, how to protect irreplaceable animals, and how to save animals if doing so does not jeopardize the safety of the staff Post-incident discussions - ANSWER-Useful for identifying ways to improve emergency procedures Disaster drills - ANSWER-Done periodically, they are the best way to measure the effectiveness of an institution-wide emergency system Compliance with regulations and guidelines - ANSWER-The best defense against attack from groups opposed to the use of animals in research Biometric - ANSWER-Type of security device that can identify individuals using distinct characteristics such as fingerprints, voice signature, or eye structures In the event of an emergency, what is the first thing you should do once out of danger? - ANSWER-Contact your institution's emergency response team Occupational Health and Safety Program - ANSWER-- Goal is to minimize risk of occupational injuries for all employees - Enforced by OSHA - Coordination is often delegated to the institution's EH&S department Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - ANSWER-- Under the Department of Labor - Main federal agency that enforces rules/standards of workplace safety Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) Department - ANSWER-- Often delegates the occupational health and safety program at an institution