Rodent Health Monitoring Service

University of Copenhagen, Department of Experimental Medicine (AEM) calls for tender on the department’s Rodent Health Monitoring Program. Currently, AEM holds 67 dirty bedding mice sentinel cages, 3 dirty bedding rat sentinel cages, and 5 dirty bedding contact medias for mice and 4 dirty bedding contact medias for rats. Complete PCR monitoring of guinea pig colonies will be performed occasionally. Monitoring is performed in accordance with the species specific FELASA recommendations, currently Laboratory Animals 2014, Vol. 48(3) 178-192. In addition, samples after embryo transfers and samples for sick and deceased animals will be analysed. Number of samples can vary depending on research activity. AEM is intending to renew its health monitoring strategy and wishes to introduce animal free health monitoring e.g. by dirty bedding contact media, environmental monitoring, or air filter monitoring, in order to contribute to a reduction in animal usage. This will be an important contribution to the university’s general focus on a reduction of animal usage in research and education.