Expert information from the Working Group on Hygiene: Harmonisation of Health Monitoring Reports

The Working Group on Hygiene, one of the nine permanent committees of the GV-SOLAS, recently published an expert information on the ‘Harmonisation of Health Monitoring Reports’. ¹ The publication is available in both English and German in order to reach German-speaking staff involved in animal experiments as well as readers in non-German-speaking countries.^1,2

The harmonisation of health monitoring reports becomes increasingly important, as health monitoring reporting is not yet standardised and a variety of different formats is used to date.

It is well known that the increasing international transfer of genetically modified mice is associated with higher risks pertaining to the dissemination of microorganisms. Although by now – also due to animal welfare reasons – preferentially cryo-conserved sperm or embryos are shipped, shipping of live animals is often the standard procedure, as many academic institutions do not have the infrastructure to conduct embryo transfer. Therefore, an exact review of the health status of mice as well as the documentation of this reviewing process is extremely important to prevent the introduction of unwanted microorganisms into an animal facility. For this, the receiving institutions need reliable information on the current health status of the animals. An interpretation based solely on laboratory reports holds many risks.

The publication describes the information on the health monitoring programme that is necessary for a correct interpretation of health monitoring reports.

European animal facilities increasingly apply the recommendations of the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA) for the health monitoring of rodents. A joint working group of FELASA and the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) has published a position statement to discuss the potential for an international harmonised health monitoring reporting format. This would be highly appreciated in an international context.

Both recommendations have similar objectives; however, they differ slightly in some aspects. The FELASA recommendations give concrete information on the implementation of the testing programme, whereas the requirements for the layout of the health monitoring report are less precise. In contrast to this, the FELASA-AALAS recommendation puts forward the creation and formatting of a health monitoring report. An easy to recognize layout, as well as a precise list of microorganisms to be specified in a health monitoring report are compiled. These lists are not complete, however, as, for example, in immunodeficient animals, or under certain circumstances, additional microorganisms can be considered (e.g. opportunistic microorganisms, dermatophytes etc.).

Many formats for the description of health monitoring programmes as well as for the respective health monitoring reports exist nationally and internationally. In Europe, health monitoring reports are increasingly generated using the design of the FELASA recommendations for the health monitoring of rodents (2014), which have a long tradition since 1994. Many institutions, particularly in Non-European countries, often supply test reports from testing laboratories without any explanation or summary. These can be difficult to read and understand and do usually not provide sufficient information to assess the infectious status of specific animals. This inconsistent reporting holds many risks, including creating uncertainty when interpreting results and wasting time in daily routine because of necessary further enquiries with senders, and can therefore cause delays when importing important mouse strains. As the interpretation of health reports is very complex, respective experts are needed for a proper interpretation.

The format shall enable the compilation of a standardised health monitoring report and thus simplify its interpretation. The decision how, and for which microorganisms, tests will be performed is dependent on the respective institution and the use of the animals in research. In addition to that, a standardised health monitoring report shall facilitate to determine which microorganisms were actually tested for.

The proposed format for a health monitoring report by the AALAS–FELASA Working Group can be downloaded for mice and rats in an Excel format (Microsoft). The format can be adapted respectively.

The following important information shall be considered when using the format:

– The list of microorganisms and their respective order should be maintained.

– Additionally detected and relevant microorganisms as well as newly described and important microorganisms should be listed. They can be inserted e.g. under ‘additional agents’.

– If no tests were performed for some microorganisms, they should be listed and NOT TESTED should be noted.

– If microorganisms are detected, confirmation tests shall be noted and specified.

– Ideally, the health monitoring programme should be described precisely.

– A contact person should be specified.

– Changes in taxonomy and nomenclature should be adjusted, i.e. Pasteurellaceae

The GV-SOLAS Working Group on Hygiene explicitly recommends the use of this format in order to improve and facilitate the interpretation of health monitoring reports when importing rodents in a European and International context. This is a further step towards the harmonisation of experimental animal research at a European level.