Medical Management and Diagnostic Approaches

This chapter reviews the basic principles of medical management of rat colonies and diagnostic approaches to detect infectious diseases of rats. Due to the fact that a comprehensive colony health monitoring program is so vital in protecting the validity and reproducibility of experimental research data, it must be devoted an appropriate priority in terms of budget, personnel, and other resources. The policies and practices should be defined in written plans, and agreement with the principles set forth should be secured by the scientific and administrative leadership of the institution, as well as by the veterinary and animal care group. Programs should be designed to monitor individual animal health through the use of direct methods such as close observation and physical examination. A program created to monitor the overall health status of a colony population often utilizes more indirect methods. Routine testing of selected representative animals (even in the absence of any signs of illness or disease) can provide valuable information regarding the viral, parasitic, and bacterial agents that such animals are either currently harboring or have been exposed to in the past. Risk analysis should be done by any institution planning on holding rodents, a process that should involve a discussion of the relative costs and benefits of the various options available for routine health monitoring as well as quarantine isolation and testing.