Biosafety Guidelines For Research On Genetically Modified ...

APPENDIX 13: DESIGN OF ANIMAL FACILITIES
Introduction
Facilities for laboratory animals used for studies for genetic manipulation work of either
an infectious or non-infectious nature should be physically separated from other
activities such as animal production and animal quarantine.
Animals under experiment may be either small laboratory animals (e.g., mice, rabbits) or
large domestic animals (e.g., pigs, sheep, cattle). The requirements for the housing and
maintenance of the animals may differ in scale as a result, but the microbiological safety
principles are similar.
Housing of transgenic animals
The particular point of concern with transgenic animals is that the result of any insertion
of novel genetic material into the genome of an animal is unpredictable, both in terms of
the expression of the new genetic material and regarding the effect of this material on
neighbouring genes. Furthermore, any escape of the novel genetic material through
either the escape of transgenic animals or through their interbreeding with wild or
uncontained animals is potentially irreversible.
The containment for transgenic animals varies in different experiment systems. The
nature of the containment required depend on the type of animal, the stages in the
animals’ life cycle that will be involved in the work, the number to be used, and the
nature of the genetic manipulation.
Housing of infectious animals
Points to consider for the housing of animals in which infectious agents have been used,
including transgenic animals produced by infectious agents.
1. The animal housing must comply with the NACLAR guidelines on the care and use
of animals for scientific purposes.
2. Laboratory animal facilities are an extension of the laboratory and may be integral to,
and inseparable from, the laboratory.
3. As a general principle, the biological and physical containment recommended for
working with infectious agents in vivo and in vitro are comparable.
4. The physical containment levels for work with infectious genetically manipulated
animals follow the animal containment levels GA-BSL2 or GA-BSL3 as appropriate
for the pathogen. Requirements for GA-BSL2 and GA-BSL3 animal containment
facilities are set out in Appendices 14 and 15.
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