Georgia Institute of Technology
Occupational Health Guide and Program for Personnel
with Laboratory Animal Contact
July 2005
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
Office of Research Compliance
http://www.osp.gatech.edu/compliance/animals/animals.htm
Table of Contents
I. To Whom Does This Guide Apply?
II. Risk Assessment, Training, and Medical Monitoring
III. Immunizations
A. Tetanus
IV. Personal Hygiene
V. Hazards Associated with Care and Use of Animals
A. Use Universal Precautions
B. Clothing and Uniforms
C. Four Categories of Hazards
1. Allergens
2. Bites and Scratches
3. Zoonoses
4. Protocol Related Hazards
VI. Diseases Communicable from Animals to Humans
A. Special Concerns for Pregnant Persons Working with Animals
B. Species Specific Concerns
1. Dogs and Cats
2. Pigs
3. Rabbits
4. Rats and Mice
VII. Environmental Health and Safety Procedures
· Environmental Health and Safety General Lab Safety Manual
· Fume Hoods
· Material Safety Data Sheets Resources Online
VIII. Hazardous Agents
A. Gas AnestheticS
B. Radioactivity and Animals
C. Chemical Hazards and Animals
D. Bloodborne Pathogens and Sharps
E. Biohazardous Animals and Agents
F. Biohazardous Animal Disease – Importing Animals or Specimens
IX. Required Review by Other Campus Boards, Committees
X. Reporting Injury or Illness
XI. Training and Educational Resources
XII. Certification of Receipt of Occupational Health Guide and Program
for Personnel with Laboratory Animal Contact
I. TO WHOM DOES THIS GUIDE APPLY?
This Guide applies to all Georgia Institute of Technology personnel who have contact with animals that are used in teaching or research. This includes but is not limited to principal investigators, research animal attendants, animal laboratory personnel, professional research assistants, research technicians, graduate students, post doctoral students, and part-time students. Pregnant women and those who may become pregnant should discuss with their personal physician the ramifications of working with biohazardous agents and any other environmental exposure during pregnancy.
II. RISK ASSESSMENT, TRAINING, AND MEDICAL MONITORING
In some cases, Environmental Health and Safety, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, the Institutional Biosafety and Biohazards Board, and/or the Principal Investigator will determine that specialized training and medical monitoring are appropriate for personnel working with some species or organisms. Protocols that may subject personnel to these risks are referred to Environmental Health and Safety and the Institutional Biosafety and Biohazards Board for assessment and instruction.
III. IMMUNIZATIONS
In some cases, Environmental Health and Safety, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, the Institutional Biosafety and Biohazards Board, or a project sponsor may determine that immunizations are recommended for a specific individual to safely conduct research on a specific funded project for which Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) is signatory. In those cases, GTRC will provide funds to pay for the immunizations.
III.A. Tetanus
The Public Health Service Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends immunization against tetanus every ten years. An immunization is also recommended if a particularly tetanus-prone injury occurs with an employee who has not had a tetanus immunization within five years. It is recommended that employees who work with animals have an up-to-date tetanus immunization. Tetanus is not currently a concern for those who work with animals at Georgia Tech. Clostridium tetanii and its spores are associated with soil. All Georgia Tech animals are raised indoors. Tetanus is not a concern following animal bites unless the wound is later contaminated with freshly tilled soil.
IV. PERSONAL HYGIENE
Several personal hygiene issues apply to all workers who are exposed to laboratory animals, their body fluids, or wastes:
· There shall be no eating, drinking, smoking, or applying of cosmetics in areas where animals are housed or used.
· No animals should be kept overnight anywhere except in designated animal rooms or other facilities approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
· Gloves should be worn at all times while handling animals. All contaminated or infected substances should be handled in a manner to minimize aerosoling.
· Laboratory coats, gowns, or other protective garments should be worn over or in lieu of street clothing when working with animals. This will decrease the likelihood of contaminating the street clothing or the animals.
· Additional precautions are necessary when handling certain hazardous agents. If infectious materials are being used in a laboratory, specific guidelines should be followed for the handling of these biologically sensitive materials. For guidance, contact Environmental Health and Safety at 404 / 894-6119 and/or the Institutional Biosafety and Biohazards Board at 404 / 894-6949. Also see guidance posted on the Georgia Tech compliance website at http://www.osp.gatech.edu/compliance.htm.
· All work surfaces that have been exposed to laboratory animals, body fluids, or wastes should be decontaminated daily and after any spill of animal related material.
· Careful hand washing should be done after handling animals and related materials and prior to leaving the laboratory, even if gloves have been used.
V. HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH CARE AND USE OF ANIMALS
A. Use Universal Precautions. The term universal precautions is an approach to infection control to treat all vertebrate animals as if they were known to be infectious for HIV, HBV and other bloodborne pathogens. Those at Georgia Institute of Technology who should follow the universal precautions include all who may come into contact with animals, their housing/bedding, or body fluids.
B. Clothing, Uniforms. When entering the Georgia Tech animal facility, appropriate clothing must be worn. At a minimum, all visitors must wear disposable shoe covers. Use of other protective clothing, lab coats, goggles, gowns, masks, head covers, and other items will be required as appropriate. Appropriate clothing reduces the likelihood of transfer of pathogens from one group of animals to another and may reduce the introduction of infections from outside the facility.
Note that the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals states that lab coats worn in lab animal rooms may not be worn outside the animal facility.
C. There are four broad categories of hazards for humans associated with the care and use of animals:
1. Allergens – Work-associated allergies constitute the most common health concern for those working with rodents and rabbits or in an environment where animals are housed. All personnel should minimize exposure by wearing protective clothing such as lab coats and gloves, avoiding unnecessary animal exposure, working with animals in well-ventilated areas, and use of respiratory protection if appropriate. A physician should be consulted promptly if skin, eye, or respiratory irritation is experienced.
2. Bites and scratches – Everyone who has contact with live animals should be trained on proper handling of live animals and proper use of safety equipment such as gloves and restraint devices. Bite wounds should be immediately washed with copious running water and antiseptic soap. Most bites should be treated with topical antibiotics and bandaged. If healing is delayed, the area becomes inflamed, or fever develops, medical attention should be sought. Animal bites can develop serious infections that are more hazardous than the bite itself. An animal’s normal oral flora can cause infection when it gets into open wounds. Some consider rodent bites to be inconsequential because they inflict little tissue damage, however these animals can spread a host of diseases, and the bites can have serious wound contamination. Those working with animals should maintain current tetanus immunizations, seek prompt medical advice if bitten or scratched, and have the animal evaluated by veterinary staff, if appropriate.
3. Zoonoses – Zoonotic diseases are those that are transferred from animals to humans. While humans are not usually susceptible to infectious diseases suffered by animals, some important exceptions exist. In many cases, animals show little, if any, signs of illness. A bacterium normally found in a healthy animal may cause a serious disorder in a person exposed to it. While the animals have developed resistance to these microorganisms, humans with no previous exposure to the agent lack this protective immunity. Therefore, one should always be aware of possible consequences when working with each type of animal and then take precautions to minimize the risk of infection. In the event you do become ill with a fever or some other sign of infection, it is important to let your physician know of your work with animals.
Some of the specific diseases and animals associated with those disorders are described elsewhere in this guide. Some common sense steps can be taken to lessen the risk of infection. These include cleanliness in routine tasks around animals and hand washing after completion of animal work. Investigators and technicians should protect themselves against skin contamination by wearing gloves, using manually operated pipettes, taking enough time to give injections properly, and by using a two-person team to inoculate animals. Do not re-cap the needles or manually separate the needle and syringe; discard them directly into a container designed for sharps disposal. For procedures such as necropsy, bedding changes, and tissue and fluid sampling in infectious disease research or with animals suspected of carrying zoonotic diseases, use of biological safety cabinets, physical containment devices, full-face respirators or other personal safety gear or barrier precautions is strongly advised.
4. Protocol Related Hazards - These are hazards specifically associated with operational or experiment-specific activities, such as the risk of burns from Bunsen burners or exposure to a specific viral vector. Gas anesthetics can be very hazardous to animals and to humans. Use of an anesthetic agent must be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. All gas usage should be in a manner that minimizes exposure, such as in a fume hood or with gas scavenging devices. Be aware that if you can smell the anesthesia, safe exposure limits have probably been exceeded.
VI. DISEASES COMMUNICABLE FROM ANIMALS TO HUMANS
A. Special Concerns for Pregnant Persons Working with Animals -- Pregnant caretakers without immunity to toxoplasmosis should not be exposed to possible toxoplasmosis infection from infected species or have contact with cats not known to be free of toxoplasmosis or during the first month after they are received. The risk of congenital toxoplasma infection exists, and precautions should always be taken. Cat feces should be avoided. Gloves should be worn when working in areas potentially contaminated with cat feces. Thorough hand washing is necessary after handling any potential sources of infection. During the first trimester of pregnancy, working with hazardous materials, particularly exposure to the possible inhalation of toxic chemicals, is discouraged. Pregnant women and those who may become pregnant should discuss with their personal physician the ramifications of working with biohazardous agents and any other environmental exposure during pregnancy
B. Species Specific Concerns
1. Dogs and Cats -- Canine Brucellosis is most frequently reported in the beagle dog, but other canine breeds can be affected. Laboratory workers are most often infected by handling aborted canine fetuses. The incubation period is approximately three weeks, and the principal symptoms include low grade fever, lymphadenopthy, malaise, night sweats, and chronic fatigue. Treatment with antibiotics has yielded favorable results, and no fatalities have been reported. Workers most susceptible to infection are those handling bitches immediately postpartum and examining aborted or stillborn pups. Since the route of entry of the disease is not known, personnel should handle aborted canine fetuses with care to avoid direct contact. The most effective means of control is periodic screening of the colony by blood cultures and measuring titers of serum agglutinins for Brucella canis. Monthly testing of breeding sires is recommended. In addition, all dogs should be screened monthly in areas where the disease has been a problem. Dogs with positive blood cultures or agglutinin titers of 1:800 or higher should be culled.
Rabies is a relatively rare and devastating viral disease which will result in severe neurological problems and death. Most cases of rabies occur in wild animals, although any mammal can contract this disease. The disease is virtually unheard of in common laboratory animals, except with dogs and cats. At Georgia Tech, cats and dogs used in research or teaching should be vaccinated against rabies. If evidence of vaccination is unavailable, these animals should be vaccinated against rabies on the first day they enter the facility and be quarantined for seven to ten days. It is slightly possible that these animals, if infected by rabies, could be infectious for several days before the virus takes effect. All bites should be reported immediately to one’s supervisor and to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Further, Georgia Tech personnel who come into contact with dogs or cats, particularly animals obtained from pounds*, are strongly encouraged to have the pre-exposure rabies prophylaxis and a serology test or booster every two years.
*It is Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee policy that pound animals will not be utilized in research projects at Georgia Tech.
Parasites such as canine roundworms that cause visceral larval migrans in humans, canine hookworms that cause cutaneous larval migrans in humans, some tapeworms, and sarcoptic mange are a low but potential risk to those handling infected animals. Those working with cats should be conscious of possible allergic reactions. Ringworm is also a common infection in cats that is frequently transferred to humans.
Cat scratch disease is a zoonotic infection characterized by regional lymphadenitis that follows a skin papule at the site of the cat scratch or bite. The cardinal sign of the disease is regional lymphadenopathy, which appears one to ten weeks after inoculation. While the prognosis usually is excellent and the disease in most cases is self-limiting, an examination by a physician is recommended. Fatalities are extremely rare, and complete recovery is the general rule. There is no way to detect which cats may transmit the disease, nor is there a vaccine available for humans. Women of child-bearing age are encouraged to have a blood sample taken and serum stored prior to beginning work with cats.
2. Pigs -- Erysipelas in pigs can be transmitted as focal skin infection to humans, and pigs showing diagnostic lesions should be handled with care.
Similar appearing, though less severe, skin lesions are also seen on the hands after contact with sheep and goats infected with contagious ecthyma, “orf,” and vesicular stomatitis.
3. Rabbits -- Those working with rabbits should be conscious of possible allergic reactions.