Different national standards divide laboratory animal facilities into two types according to their functions and purposes. Laboratory animal breeding, production facilities and animal testing facilities.
Laboratory animal disability refers to the total number of buildings, equipment and operational controls used to raise and produce laboratory animals.
Animal experiment facility (animal experiment facility) refers to the total number of buildings, equipment, and operation management required for the breeding and testing of laboratory animals used for research, experimentation, education, biological preparation and drug production.
Laboratory animal care, production facilities and animal laboratory facilities are basically the same in terms of environmental requirements and facility management. Only in this way can the physiological and psychological stability of experimental animals be as stable as possible without affecting the experimental results.
According to the national standard (GB14925-2001), laboratory animal facilities are divided into general environment, isolated environment and isolated environment.
(1) Common environment
Common environment (open system) facilities meet the basic requirements of animal habitat, cannot completely control the source of infection, and are usually used for feeding, education and other purposes. Suitable for laboratory animals. The facility may not be airtight, and the unidirectional flow of people, objects, animals, and airflow controllers may not be used in the system. There are multiple air channels for gas communication inside and outside the facility, so there is no need to install air purification equipment in the facility. Water supply and drinking water must meet sanitary requirements, and bedding materials must be disinfected. In addition, the breeding room must take deworming measures against rodents and insects. The environment lacks the ability to control microorganisms. The required environmental indicators vary more. The structure and function of open systems depend on the reproduction of different animal species.
(2) Barrier environment
Barrier system equipment is suitable for keeping clean laboratory animals and certain sterile (SPF) laboratory animals. The living environment of experimental animals is relatively isolated from the outside world. The air entering the barrier system must be filtered according to the following three levels: primary, medium and high efficiency, and air cleanliness must reach 10,000. People, animals and objects (feed, water, garbage, laboratory supplies, etc.) entering the barrier system must be strictly controlled by microorganisms (Figure 3-3). The air-conditioning air supply system is used to create a static pressure gradient between clean corridors, animal rooms, dirty corridors and outdoor areas to prevent air pollution from returning. Minimize direct contact with people and animals in the barrier. Workers must pass through special sidewalks and wear protective equipment, such as sterile gloves and sterile work clothes.
(3) Isolated environment
Isolation System (Isolation System) This facility uses aseptic isolation equipment to maintain aseptic conditions without external contamination (Figure 3-4). The staff operate through the sterile gloves assembled on the isolator and do not directly touch the animals. The dynamic transmission of air, feed, bedding, water and experimental objects in the isolation device must pass through a special transmission system. The air must be purified to the one-hundredth level, and feed, garbage, water and other laboratory supplies must be disinfected first. The system not only guarantees complete isolation from the external environment, but also meets the requirements of keeping the internal environment constant when changing animals. This environmental facility is suitable for the reproduction of certain sterile animals (SPF), sterile organisms (sterile organisms) and sterile animals (sterile), as well as special animal preservation, animal reproduction and testing, and animal isolation and reproduction. Can be used for quarantine.
The overall layout of the laboratory animal facility has no corridors and is single, while adapting to the original facility’s architectural structure and conditions to reach the level of laboratory animal microbiology and parasitology management standards. There are two corridors, two corridors and three. Corridor style.
(1) No corridor style: rarely used. Only use under special conditions, for example, the laboratory is a bungalow. It is a facility usually used for breeding management, its equipment is simple, and it is difficult to achieve the control standards of microorganisms and parasites.
(2) Single-corridor style: It can be arranged like this for ordinary environment, obstacle environment, and separated environment. Small barrier systems usually use this method. It is also difficult for these facilities to meet microbiological and parasite control standards because clean and contaminated sidewalks share the same aisles.
(3) Double corridor type: effectively separate the clean area from the contaminated area and avoid cross-infection. This method can be used in long-term experiments and animal production facilities.
(4) Three corridor styles: usually one clean corridor and two polluted corridors. It has the advantage of a double corridor, which can promote the one-way flow of people, logistics and airflow. The disadvantage is that improper design will waste the effective breeding space of the facility.