Animal Transfers

Animal Transfers Withing UCSF

You must submit a transfer request before your animals can be moved between UCSF Animal Facilities. Please take the following steps to initiate a transfer request.

Procedure

  • Submit animal transfer request form through RIO.
  • Complete transfer labels and place on the cage(s) to be moved.
  • LARC will process the transfer for pinworm/furmite screening, where applicable.
  • LARC business office will schedule transfer with transportation team.
  • LARC business office will notify you of the transfer date.

 Please note that 3 business days is required for all transfers, and transfer requests may take up to two weeks to process.

Screening

  • Barrier Rodents only: transfers between barrier animal rooms and facilities must be screened for pinworm and furmite. Certain animal facilities require the sending lab to collect and submit samples to LARC vet nurse staff.
    • Collect and submit samples if you are transferring to these animal facilities: Gladstone (GLAD), Rock Hall (MBRH), Neuroscience (NS), Weill (MBW).
    • Collect and submit samples if you are transferring within these animal facilities: Gladstone (GLAD) and Rock Hall (MBRH).
    • Please note that screening may take up to one week to process.
  • Cardiovascular (CV) only: rodent transfers to these facilities must undergo an abbreviated quarantine designed to detect certain rodent pathogens before entry into the colonies. Each animal will be fed a fenbendazole rodent chow which is a treatment for pinworms. The estimated quarantine time is 4 weeks.
  • Helen Diller (HD) only: rodent transfers to this facility must undergo an abbreviated quarantine designed to detect certain rodent pathogens before entry into the colonies. Each animal will be fed a fenbendazole rodent chow which is a treatment for pinworms AND animals over the age of 21 days will receive a topical parasite treatment (excludes nude mice). The estimated quarantine time is 4 weeks. 

Steps for Fecal/Fur Collection and Submission

Please note: This additional testing will delay processing of transfers to the requested facility. Please allow for an additional 10
business days when placing your transfer request.

  1. Enter transfer request via RIO online at https://rio.ucsf.edu

  2. Ensure you have the following materials for fecal/fur collection: 2mL eppendorf top tube(s), sterile flocked swab(s), 5mL
    snap top tube(s), transparent small ziplock bag, and sharpie fine tip marker (see pictures below).

    Materials for Fecal/Fur Collection

  3. Sterile flocked swabs and tubes can be obtained from these areas:

    • Parnassus → vet nurse office in the Medical Sciences building, room # S394A. Swabs and tubes will be in yellow
      box on gray shelf when you enter the office on your left.
    Location for PSB fecal/fur samples
    • Mission Bay → Rock Hall LARC office- 1550 4th street, room # RH139. Swabs and tubes will be in mail box outside office (see pictures on page 2 for directions) or request from LARC vet nurse team by emailing [email protected]
    • Gladstone → Sid Espineda’s office- 1650 Owens Street, 6 th floor outside barrier. Swabs and tubes will be on top of Sid’s desk in the office.
  4. Fecal Collection: For each cage listed in transfer request, lab personnel will collect 1 fecal pellet (the fresher the better!) from each cage and place in 2mL eppendorf tube (pool up to 5 pieces of feces per tube only). Pooling samples reduces
    costs so for this reason DO NOT send one fecal tube per cage. Instead feces from each cage will be pooled together in the same tube (place max 5 feces per tube).
  5. Fur swab collection: For each cage, lab personnel will also collect 1 fur swab per cage. Using a sterile, dry flocked swab, thoroughly swab the fur against the direction of the hair coat of the animal. It is important to swab around the face, back, tail base, and belly for the best results. You may swab all mice in one cage with the same swab but use different swabs for each cage (pool up to 5 swabs per 5mL tube only). When finished swabbing, insert the swab halfway into a 5mL tube, close the tube lid against the swab shaft and pull down on the swab shaft to break the shaft. The tip end will fall into the tube and the tube can be capped. Pooling samples reduces costs so for this reason DO NOT send one swab tube per cage. Instead fur swabs from each cage will be pooled together in the same tube (place max 5 swabs per tube).

  6. Label pooled fecal tube and pooled fur swab tube with transfer number.

    PCR labeling example
  7. Place labeled tubes in clear ziplock bag and label bag with date of fecal/fur collection, transfer number, investigator name, room number at current location, total fecal and fur swab tubes and your contact information.
  8. pcr

    For transfers coming from:

    1. PSB barrier→ lab staff should bring down samples to vet nurse office in the Medical Sciences building, room # S394A. Place samples in yellow box on gray shelf when you enter the office on your left (see pictures in step 3).
    2. Mission Bay barrier facilities→ lab staff should bring samples to Rock Hall LARC office- 1550 4th street, room # RH139 and place in mail box (see pictures below) or can deliver them to your LARC vet nurse for your facility.

    3. Gladstone barrier facilities→ lab staff should bring samples to Sid Espineda’s office- 1650 Owens Street, 6th floor outside barrier and leave on top of his desk.

      Directions to LARC office at Mission Bay

      pcr
      pcr
  9. After dropping off your samples send an email to OR health check ([email protected]) when samples are ready for pick up. Include in email: date of sample collection, room number of current location, number of fecal and fur swab tube(s),
    investigator name, transfer number and your contact information.
  10. Rodent nurse for designate area will pick-up samples and ship samples off Monday through Friday for
    Furmite/Pinworm PCR testing at VRL Diagnostics.
  11. Samples are dropped off at FedEx drop box by LARC vet nurse staff. Drop box pick up is at 3pm Monday-Friday so be sure to drop off your samples before 3pm or they will instead be shipped the next business day.
  12. Once results have returned back negative, an automated email message from business office will then notify LARC and lab personnel that cage(s) are ready for transfer.

For questions about screening and abbreviated quarantine please contact OR Health Check at [email protected].

 

Schedule

Animal barrier to barrier room/facility transfers are scheduled either Wednesday or Thursday. (excludes holidays)

Animal barrier/non-barrier to non-barrier room/facility transfers are scheduled either Tuesday or Thursday. (excludes holidays)

Special accommodations (deliveries outside transfer windows and time sensitive experiments) will need to be coordinated with the transportation team in advance. Send an email to [email protected]

 

Changes and Cancellations

You may request a change or cancellation to a transfer until 3pm the business day before the scheduled date. The request must be emailed to [email protected].

 

Protocol to Protocol or PI to PI Transfer

When animals need to be moved from one protocol to another or PI to PI use the Animal Transfer request form in RIO. 

For questions, please email the EVCP’s Business Service Center at [email protected].