IMPORT/EXPORT

Non-Standard Vendor Import FAQ

CWRU Animal Resource Center
Nonstandard Vendor Process FAQ

What is a Standard Vendor?

The ARC routinely purchases animals for investigators from a number of approved animal vendors.  These include:
Jackson Laboratory – mice
Charles River Laboratory – mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils
Taconic – mice
NCI Frederick – mice, rats
Harlan – mice, rats, cats
Covance – rabbits
Marshall Farms – dogs, ferrets
LBL – dogs
Hodgins – dogs
Ken Kessler – pigs
Matthew Joseph – goats

When do I use the Nonstandard Vendor IMPORT form (NSV-I)?

Nonstandard Vendors are sources not listed above, OR “gift” animals that are given to an investigator as part of a collaborative project.  The Nonstandard Vendor Import form is completed and submitted instead of an ARC Requisition to initiate these transfers.

I would like to receive animals from a collaborator.  How do I begin the process?
The Nonstandard Vendor form may be found at the ARC website, Import Form , or may be picked up from the ARC Offices, SOM, R-B5P or Wolstein SB124

What do I need to know about international shipments?
The Import/Export Coordinator make arrangements with a Customs Broker so that the shipment is able to clear customs.  The University Customs Broker is Excel (formerly AW Fenton) at 440-243-5900.  Excel must be contacted in advance of shipment and notifeied again when the exact date of shipment is known.Material derived from rodents and other small mammals which have not been inoculated with, or exposed to, any exotic livestock or poultry disease agents may be imported without USDA restrictions.  This applies as long as the material was obtained from facilities that do not work with exotic livestock or poultry disease agents.A USDA import permit will not be required for live laboratory mammals if:A health certificate accompanies live mammals and states that they are clinically healthy; andThere is a statement from the shipper/producer indicating that the animals:have not been exposed to or inoculated with any livestock or poultry disease agents exotic to the United States; and have not originated from a facility where work with exotic disease agents affecting livestock or poultry is conducted. This information must be supplied as ORIGINAL endorsed statements and made available for review by the USDA Inspector at the port of arrival.  These documents are not put INSIDE the shipping container.

If the above information is not supplied, the shipment may be subject to delays.  If the animals or their products cannot meet these criteria, then a USDA import permit may be required.  Permit applications may be obtained by calling the APHIS automated document retrieval system at (301) 734-4952.

What information do I need to provide?
Complete the unshaded prtions of the of the Nonstandard Vendor Import form in the RECIPIENT INFORMATION, SOURCE INFORMATION and HOUSING INFORMATION sections. 

Please provide contact information for your collaborator and your colleague’s animal facility.  If you rRequest that a health status report for the source colony be faxed or emailed to the ARC at 216-368-1092,  the name of the RECEIVING PI should appear prominently on the fax or email.

To prevent possible confusion during the unboxing process, please note if more than one line of animals will be shipped and whether the animals are individually identified.

What is a MTA?
Some institutions will require you to complete a Materials Transfer Agreement.  A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a written agreement entered into by a provider and a recipient of tangible research material, including biological materials or mice. The purpose of the MTA is to transfer the material while protecting the intellectual and other property rights of the provider so the research with the material may proceed.  MTAs address intellectual property rights, liability issues that may result from the research, publication of research results, and limitation of use issues. Agreement of the parties in advance of the material transfer avoids future misunderstandings or disputes which may arise regardless of how amicable the present relationship between the parties might be.

Since MTAs are actually binding contracts, both the scientists and the academic institutions are obliged to live up to the provisions they contain.  The recipient investigators and their institutions need to decide whether they can comply with such a restriction, and if not, the agreement should not be signed.

Who has the authority to sign MTA agreements?
In almost all cases investigators are required to co-sign the agreement as evidence that they have read it and will comply with its terms. However, since MTA agreements are contracts, the official signature can only come from those in the institution who are charged with the task of reviewing them, and who have been delegated authority to bind the university contractually. The validity of MTA agreements signed only by investigators, department chairs, or other individuals who do not have delegated institutional signature authority is questionable.

When you need to send or obtain materials from another institution for your research, the CASE Technology Transfer Office will negotiate and execute a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) which will preserve your intellectual property rights associated with your research. (For MTAs, please contact Patrick Klepcyk).

What does housing information mean and why does it have to be provided?
This information helps the ARC determine the type of quarantine required and assists with planning for housing space needs.  Microisolator housing for rodents is required during the quarantine period to prevent disease transmission and is recommended following release from quarantine.  Please contact the Training Coordinator for Orientation and Microisolator Technique training for yourself and your research staff if needed.

If multiple strains/lines of rodents or individually identified rodents are being shipped, the ARC recommends that you or a designee from your lab be present during the receiving process.  In any case, should questions, or problems arise, please indicate a name and contact telephone number for yourself or a member of your lab.

Unless an exemption is specifically requested, all rodents that are quarantined for retesting and release and treated during the quarantine period for fur mites and pinworms for 4 consecutive weeks using the miticide dichlorvos in the bedding and fenbendazole in a specially formulated feed or water source.  None of these agents is known to inhibit breeding, gestation or lactation.  If mice are used for experiment during the quarantine period the potential subclinical effects of these agents should be considered.  More information about this is available from an ARC Veterinarian.

What information should the sending animal facility provide?
The animal facility must fax or email the latest health status information from the source colony.  Test results must be less than 90 days old.  A complete description of testing required before arrival and the testing performed in quarantine can be found at: Testing Procedures

How is the shipment approved?
Animals may not be shipped until approval is given by the Import/Export Coordinator.  Animals shipped in advance of this approval may not be accepted by the ARC.

Rodents: 
Animals with a negative pathogen status are assigned to the Clean Quarantine Room, EB12J in the School of Medicine Health Sciences Animal Facility (HSAF).  They undergo complete testing for viral, bacterial and parasitic agents listed above with subsequent release if confirmed negative.  Rodents at risk for harboring restricted pathogens are assigned to the Dirty Quarantine Room, S-17 in the Wearn Animal Facility for subsequent rederivation by embryo transfer (mice) or hysterectomy (rats).  Both groups of quarantined rodents are treated prophylactically for mites and pinworms as described above.

Nonrodents:
Nonrodents are quarantined in a separate housing room for observation.

What happens when my animals arrive?
If you have requested to be present during the receiving process, the ARC Receiving Technician will contact you prior to removing your animals from their shipping containers.

After your animals are unboxed, the ARC office will contact your laboratory notifying you of the arrival of your animals.

How do my animals get out of quarantine?

Rodents:
Clean Quarantine (HSAF EB12J):
Two to three animals should be submitted for nonsurvival retesting.  If possible, request from your collaborator that the extra animals be included in the shipment.  If extra animals are not available, your animals will remain in EB12J and may be bred to generate pups for sentinels.  While in the quarantine room you are limited to a maximum of 7 cage spaces.  Experimental use of rodents, limited to that which may be performed within the quarantine room, may be done during the quarantine period.

Use the orange SENTINEL ANIMALS – ARC USE ONLY label to identify mice in EB12J set aside for testing.  The PI’s name and source of the animals should be added to this label:

Dirty Quarantine (Wearn S-17):
If your animals must be quarantined for rederivation in S-17 your will need to obtain keycard access to the Wearn Animal Facility.  This process is described in the presentation that may be accessed on the ARC website at http://casemed.case.edu/ora/arc/wearn_orientation/wearn_orientation/index.html

Mice in the dirty quarantine room must be rederived by the CWRU Transgenic Facility through the process of embryo transfer.  The rederivation process is a nonsurvival procedure for the donor female.  If possible, request from your collaborator that the extra females be included in the shipment.  If extra females are not available, your animals will remain in S-17 and may be bred to generate pups for rederivation.  While in the quarantine room you are limited to a maximum of 7 cage spaces.  Experimental use of rodents, limited to that which may be performed within the quarantine room, may be done during the quarantine period.  The PI must contact the Transgenic Core Facility to arrange for rederivation.  Information about the rederivation process may be found at the following websites:

CWRU School of Medicine Transgenic Core Facility http://knockout.cwru.edu/    

Rats imported for establishment of an in-house breeding colony may be rederived by hysterectomy by ARC Veterinary Services.

Rodents that are not going to be used to establish a breeding colony may stay in the quarantine room until experimental use.

Nonrodents:
Nonrodents, depending on the source and species are observed for disease while in quarantine for approximately 1 month.  If there have been no signs of disease during this time, the animals may be transferred to rooms housing the same species.

How much will this cost me?

I want to get animals from another investigator at CWRU.  What do I do?
The IACUC and ARC must be notified in advance of all animal transfers.  As with any animal order, you must have an approved and activated IACUC protocol prior to receiving animals.  Rodent housing rooms within the ARC have differing health statuses.  Rodents may be transferred from a room with fewer pathogens to a room with equivalent or more pathogens, but not vice versa.  Please contact the ARC prior to transferring animals to prevent unintentional disease transfer.  Don’t forget to change the PI Name, Protocol number and Contact Telephone number on the cage cards of all animals transferred.  Mark the number of cages transferred off the inventory sheet of your collaborator and onto your own inventory sheet.  If you do not have an inventory sheet or an animal housing room, please contact the ARC.  Have your account number for housing charges available.