Table 2.
Animal holding specifications
| Features common to most facilities | Facilities with unique features |
||
| Hygienic status | SPF (but not defined in quarantine) | GMC | Controlled hygiene status based on health reports |
| IRC | SPF and specific opportunistic pathogen free | ||
| BRC, HZI, MLC, RSF, IRC | SPF and experimental infections | ||
| MLC | SPF and gnotobiotic | ||
| Biosafety level | Biosafety Levels 1 and 2 | ICS, JAX, CR, Harlan | Only Biosafety Level 1 |
| BRC, HZI, RSF | Biosafety levels 1, 2 and 3 | ||
| Cage system | IVC | ICS, BRC, HMGU | IVC and open cages |
| IRC | IVC, open cages, and isolators | ||
| ICS, MLC | IVC and isolators | ||
| JAX | Disposable cages (quarantine) | ||
| Corridor system | Delivery and disposal for rooms through a single corridor | HZI, MLC, RSF | Separation of clean and unclean corridors |
| Barrier supply | Autoclaves located in washing area | HZI, HMGU, IRC | Autoclaves before unit barrier |
| Access—caretaker | 3-compartment lock with air shower | Harlan, IRC, HMGU | 3-compartment lock with wet shower |
| HMGU, BRC, TCP | 2-compartment lock with air or wet shower | ||
| ICS, JAX | 1-compartment lock with sit-over | ||
| Access—scientist | 2-compartment lock with air shower | MLC, RSF | 3-compartment lock with air shower |
| ICS | 1-compartment lock with sit-over | ||
| IRC | Interconnected doors | ||
| Washing area | Tunnel washer, rack washer, bottle washer | MLC, RSF, TCP | Robotics for handling cages for tunnel washer |
| IRC | Tunnel washer only | ||
| Automatic bedding dispensing and disposal system | HMGU, ICS, IRC | Either automatic bedding dispensing or automatic waste system | |
| Specialties | Design | MLC | Centralized large wards with holding room; satellite procedure rooms and office |
| TCP, ICS | Suites with a combination of similar-sized holding rooms and procedure rooms located on a single corridor | ||
| Media supply Lock device | TCP, HMGU (in part) BRC | Central water supply for cages Air shower for 4 persons | |