ACLAM key terms

A colony-management practice in which a defined subset of animals is periodically sampled and tested to detect infectious agents in a room or barrier unit, allowing herd health status to be monitored without testing every animal.

A housing area designed and operated to exclude specific pathogens, using controlled entry, restricted traffic, dedicated supplies, and husbandry procedures that prevent contamination from outside sources.

A rodent cage fitted with a filtered lid that limits airborne exchange with the room, protecting animals from contamination and containing particulates when handled under a ventilated changing station.

A caging system supplying filtered air to each cage separately, controlling ammonia and humidity while reducing cross-contamination between cages and allowing flexible housing density within a room.

Species-appropriate additions to housing such as nesting material, shelters, manipulanda, or social partners that allow animals to express natural behaviors and support psychological well-being.

Housing compatible animals together in stable pairs or groups so they can perform social behaviors, used as the default for social species unless scientific or health reasons justify single housing.

Documented scientific, veterinary, or behavioral rationale required when social animals are housed alone, including the period of separation, monitoring, and any enrichment provided to mitigate the impact.

A manipulable bedding substrate provided to rodents that permits nest building, an important behavioral need and a recognized indicator of thermal comfort and well-being in mice and rats.

The number of animals per cage or the floor area allotted per animal, set by weight-based guidelines and adjusted for species, age, and behavior to balance welfare and space needs.

The interval after arrival or transfer during which animals adjust to new housing, diet, and personnel before procedures or experiments begin, reducing stress-related variability in results.

Separation of newly received animals from established colonies for a defined period, with testing and observation to prevent introduction of infectious agents into the resident population.

Systematic collection and review of clinical, laboratory, and necropsy data to define and monitor the health status of an animal colony over time.

The professional agreement in which a veterinarian assumes responsibility for an animal's care with the owner's consent and sufficient knowledge of the animal, a prerequisite for prescribing treatment.

The veterinarian with program authority for animal health, welfare, and care, responsible for oversight of procedures, treatment decisions, and health records within the research facility.

The required interval after drug administration before an animal or its products may enter the food chain, ensuring residues fall below established tolerance limits.

Remaining drug or metabolite in animal tissues or fluids after treatment, which must be monitored and allowed to decline to acceptable limits before any food use.

A reversible state of unconsciousness with loss of sensation produced by drugs, used to permit surgery or painful procedures humanely and safely.

Relief of pain through pharmacologic or other means, provided before or after painful procedures as part of a plan to prevent and manage pain in research animals.

Combining agents from different drug classes to achieve unconsciousness, muscle relaxation, and analgesia with lower doses of each drug, reducing individual side effects.

Use of a validated species-specific scale of behavioral and physiologic signs to assess pain intensity, guide analgesic dosing, and document response to treatment.

Predetermined criteria that specify when an animal should be removed from a study or euthanized to prevent unnecessary pain or distress, established before the project begins.

The state of being diseased or experiencing clinical signs of illness, which may trigger intervention or an endpoint when it reaches defined severity.

Act of inducing death humanely using methods that produce rapid unconsciousness and death without pain or distress, appropriate for the species and situation.

The written plan describing rationale, species, numbers, procedures, housing, and welfare safeguards for a proposed project, submitted for committee review and approval before work begins.

A committee that reviews and approves protocols, inspects facilities, and oversees the animal care and use program to ensure compliance with regulations and ethical standards.

The researcher responsible for the scientific conduct of a project and for ensuring that animal work follows the approved protocol, including reporting changes and adverse events to the committee.

A formal request to modify an approved protocol before implementation, such as changing procedures, animal numbers, or personnel, which must be reviewed and approved before the change occurs.

One of the principles guiding humane science: modifying procedures, housing, or handling to minimize pain, distress, and discomfort experienced by animals used in research.

The principle of using non-animal methods, such as cell culture, computer models, or invertebrates, when they can answer the scientific question instead of vertebrate animals.

The principle of using the fewest animals necessary to obtain scientifically valid results, achieved through good experimental design, statistics, and sharing of tissues or data.

Documentation of required instruction, qualifications, and competency assessments for each person working with animals, kept to demonstrate that duties are performed by trained staff.

Structured evaluation confirming that a person can perform a procedure correctly and humanely before being allowed to do it independently on research animals.

Required education covering species-specific handling, aseptic technique, anesthesia, and welfare regulations, provided before and throughout a person's work with animals.

A program identifying hazards of animal work, such as allergens, zoonoses, and injury, and providing risk assessment, vaccination, medical surveillance, and safety training for personnel.

An infectious disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans, addressed in research settings through surveillance, personal protective equipment, and personnel health programs.

Clothing and gear such as gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection worn to protect personnel from animal allergens, infectious agents, and physical hazards in the facility.

Physiologic and behavioral disruption caused by shipping or moving animals, managed by proper crating, climate control, and an acclimation period before research use.