Husbandry Methods

Taconic produces mice and rats at multiple health standards that meet specific research requirements. These health standards range from the most stringent health standard, Germ Free (GF), to Murine Pathogen Free™ (MPF) where a select list of opportunistic bacteria are tolerated. The husbandry methods utilized to meet these standards also vary in their levels of biosecurity which have a direct impact on the health testing program.

Health Standard	Housing and Caging Type Employed	Cage Maintenance Practices	Level at Which the Microbiological Unit is Defined	Staff Personal Protective Equipment	Material Processing
Murine Pathogen Free™ (MPF™)	Primarily barriers with open top cages; some isolators	No disinfection between cages in order to maximize agent spread	At the building and/or room or isolator	Minimally a standard uniform including sterilized jumpsuit, mask, footwear and gloves	Supplies are steam sterilized, irradiated or treated with ethylene oxide
Murine Pathogen Free™ (MPF™)	Barriers with Individually Ventilated Cages (IVCs)	Disinfection between handling cages to minimize agent spread	One level at the building and/or room and a second level at the cage	Minimally a standard uniform including scrubs or jumpsuit, surgical mask, hair bonnet, footwear and gloves	Supplies are steam sterilized, irradiated or treated with ethylene oxide
Restricted Flora™ (RF™)	Barriers with static filter top cages (very limited production at this method)	Disinfection between handling cages to minimize agent spread	One level at the building and/or room and a second level at the cage	Employees don sterile uniforms that completely cover the employee with use of a powered air purifying respirator or surgical mask	Supplies are steam sterilized, irradiated or treated with ethylene oxide
Restricted Flora™ (RF™), Opportunist Free™ (OF™)	Barriers with Individually Ventilated Cages (IVCs)	Disinfection between handling cages to minimize agent spread, laminar flow cabinet use	One level at the building and/or room and a second level at the cage	Employees don sterile uniforms that completely cover the employee with use of a powered air purifying respirator	Supplies are steam sterilized, irradiated or treated with ethylene oxide
Defined Flora (DF)	Gnotobiotic flexible film isolator with open top cages	No disinfection between cages in order to maximize agent spread	At the isolator	Handled only through isolator gloves	All materials steam sterilized
Germ-Free (GF)	Gnotobiotic flexible film isolator with open top cages	No disinfection between cages in order to maximize agent spread	At the isolator	Handled only through isolator gloves	All materials steam sterilized