Pathogen Screening of Biological Materials Introduced into Rodents

are responsible for testing all cell lines and biological materials before administering into any rodent as needed.

Mandatory testing or retesting is required every five years. Frequency of testing also depends on:

1. Origin of material.
2. Previous pathogen testing of material and information about results.
3. Quality of storage and use of cell line(s) and material(s) in the laboratory.

Biological materials used in the rodents in the affected room must be tested for that pathogen.

1. List the biological materials in their IACUC protocol.
2. If the material is of human, nonhuman primate, or sheep origin, or rDNA or an infectious agent, complete an IBC application.

“Biologic materials that must be tested include any that have originated from rodents or which have been exposed to rodents directly (in vivo passage) or indirectly (e.g., via tissue culture media additives).”¹² Cell lines which have originated in rodents or which have been exposed to rodents directly or indirectly:

• Embryonic stem cells
• Cell lines of human origin
• Cell lines of animal origin

Viruses which have originated in rodents or which have been exposed to rodents directly or indirectly:

• Lentiviruses which fulfill above criteria
• Adenoviruses which fulfill above criteria
• Any virus used to transform cell lines which fulfills above criteria

EXEMPT:

• Viruses or viral vectors which have been synthesized without any exposure to murine cell lines or tissues.
• Tissues which have originated in rodents or which have been exposed to rodents directly or indirectly.
• Transplantable tumors which have originated in rodents or which have been exposed to rodents directly or indirectly.
• Subcellular components which have originated in rodents or which have been exposed to rodents directly or indirectly:
• • Myelomas
  • Hybridomas
  • Spermatozoa
  • Ascites fluid (not if harvested; only if being passaged into new host)
• Purified proteins including antibodies
• Cell culture media and components which have originated in rodents or which have been exposed to rodents directly or indirectly:
• • Any rodent serum*
  • Basement membrane matrix (Matrigel®)¹¹
  • Any biologic material used in the administered material or for cell or tissue culture

*This excludes sera from non-rodent species such as fetal calf serum.

Exemption is based upon review and approval by BU ASC veterinary staff and is based on upon the material you wish to administer, its source, and potential exposure to adventitious rodent pathogens via passage through rodent cell culture or rodent products. Rodent fresh cells or tissues harvested from within a Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) BU ASC rodent colony and used for a single administration in rodents do not require pathogen testing. This exemption assumes that the health status of the rodent colony is confirmed by BU ASC sentinel testing results and is SPF for at least the previous six months or longer.

1. Boston University
   • Murine cells or human cells which have been passed through rodents: Testing or documentation of SPF test results.
   • Other biological materials of unknown pathogen status: Testing or documentation of SPF test results.
   • Primary human cell lines or tissues: Exempt.
2. Other Institution
   • Murine cells or human cells which have been exposed to rodents directly or indirectly: Testing required.
   • Other biological materials of unknown pathogen status (biological materials from colleague at any other institution): Testing required.
3. Primary Human Cell Lines or Tissues
   • Complete your IACUC protocol, including the details of use of these primary human cells or tissues in animals, and complete the IBC application.
4. ATCC (American Type Culture Collection) or Other Commercial Source
   • Testing required. All cells and other biological materials obtained from ATCC or other commercial source require testing for murine viruses prior to administration into laboratory rodents.
5. It is RECOMMENDED that human-origin or nonmurine-origin tumors and cell lines be tested for murine pathogens unless credible documentation is available to show they have never been passaged through or exposed to rodents directly or indirectly. They also must be tested for Mycoplasma. Therefore, it is required that human cell lines and transplantable tumors obtained from ATCC or other cell culture collections be tested because complete documentation of their handling prior to deposition is not available.

The PI must bear in mind that murine pathogens that will not make an immunocompetent rodent sick may very well cause disease in an immunocompromised rodent, affecting both your research as well as animal-colony health.

If tested after culture, the test would pick up both possible pathogens from the medium components as well as from the cell line, tissue, or subcellular components.

1. The origin and available test results for this cell line.
2. There is a greater risk of contamination for cell lines obtained from rodents housed in conventional colonies than from those housed in SPF colonies.
3. It is harder to predict what viruses may be present in cultured cells and culture media compared to cells obtained from known mouse colonies under sentinel surveillance. Known viiruses that are common in US mouse colonies include MNV, MPV, MVM, MHV, EDIM, and TMEV. Less frequently seen are REO3, LCMV, and Sendai virus. LDV is found in cell cultures with some frequency.¹³ Some are rarely seen, including Ectromelia, Hantaan, MAV, PVM, and polyomavirus. Some pathogens are more common in cell cultures than in mouse colonies, for example Polyoma, Ectromelia, and Hantavirus. In 1999, mouse Ectromelia virus was detected at Cornell’s Sloan-Kettering from a mouse cell culture media (serum) which was shown to come from China.

M. pulmonis is the major species that infects rodents, but other Mycoplasma species may contaminate cell lines and impact research.

as listed in the CRL Mouse/Rat Comprehensive Panel and tested for annually include all these pathogens plus a few more. These are the pathogens we want to exclude from our rodent facilities.

they do not need to be tested again for five years as long as they stay in the PI’s hands, under the PI’s control, and the PI maintains the cells according to the recommendations belo to ensure SPF status.

“As procedures to inactivate or remove adventitious agents may also do the same to a biologic product, it is preferable to prevent microbial contamination in the first place by controlling the risk factors associated with its sources.

This is accomplished by:

1. Selecting high-quality raw materials, including original cells, tissues or animals, and microbial inocula that are from a reliable supplier and have undergone the appropriate quality control testing.
2. Banking cell substrates and microbial inocula.
3. Following microbiologic and manufacturing practices that prevent operator-induced contamination.”

“Biologic raw materials should also be screened for microbial contaminants. Whenever possible, raw materials should be obtained from suppliers that provide material traceability and lot analysis information. The supplier’s document, showing that a lot of material has been tested and met certain specifications, is referred to generally as ‘Certificate of Analysis.’

It is preferable whenever possible to use raw materials that can withstand conditions known to remove or inactivate viruses. Preparing or acquiring large batches of raw materials is crucial to consistent production of biologics free of extraneous infectious agents; this minimizes the adverse effects of batch-to-batch variation and makes comprehensive quality control more economical and efficient, provided materials are stored and handled in a manner that prevents their degradation or contamination.

Biologic raw materials, such as cells or serum, that originate from animals or humans should be generated from sources that are likely to be pathogen-free.”

“It is well established that biologic product quality and safety are in large part determined by the cell substrate. The first step for controlling cell substrate quality is to document its source (or parental cell line), method of preparation, and cultivation history.

Most modern biologicals are produced in serially cultivated animal cell lines. The chief advantage of a cell line is that it can be preserved as a cell bank, which provides a well-characterized and standardized starting point for production. A cell bank is a uniform pool of cells that is typically suspended in a medium containing cryoprotectants, divided into small aliquots in sealed containers and cryopreserved in the vapor or liquid phase of liquid nitrogen or at equivalent ultra-low temperatures. The two-tiered banking system, consisting of a master cell bank (MCB), and a working cell bank (WCB) created from the MCB, has become the generally accepted approach for ensuring a consistent, uninterrupted supply of cells for production of biologic products.”14,15

1. All samples for cell line testing are submitted to Charles River Laboratories for testing of pathogens.
2. Submissions need to have a Charles River Laboratories Molecular Diagnostic Sample Submission Form fill out completely when samples are ready for pick up. Boston University Animal Science Center (BU ASC) can provide you with this form. Included on this form must be a purchase order number for payment. The purchase order number should be obtained directly from department you are affiliated with. BU ASC will provide you with the current price for your PO request.
3. For biological materials that have been exposed to mice or rats directly or indirectly, the Mouse/Rat Comprehensive Panel should be selected for the testing panel on the diagnostic sample submission form. To select this test use the drop down menu on under the “Service Requested” tab on the form.
4. BU ASC will coordinate with CRL to set up a sample pick up. BU ASC can provide an IATA approved shipping package for you to submit samples in.
5. Attached to the outside of the box should be an envelope with a yellow CRL Sample Submission label for Wilmington, MA attached to it. BU ASC can provide this label. Inside the envelope place the CRL Molecular Diagnostic Sample Submission form. The box labeled PCR should be checked and the correct storage conditions circled on the sample submission label so CRL can process the specimen correctly.
6. Once a pickup has been arranged with CRL, CRL will provide a unique identification number for that specific pick up. That unique number should be written on the envelope attached to the box with the sample submission label so that CRL knows they have the correct sample for pick up.
7. Pick up of samples by CRL can be scheduled Monday thru Thursday, with a pick up time of 9:00 am for both campuses. Samples should be left outside of the BU ASC office on either campus.
8. Results are usually available within 7-10 days.
9. When results are returned to you by CRL please forward them to BU ASC via email, BUASC@bu.edu, for the veterinarians to review.
10. Once the testing has been reviewed the results will be set to the IACUC to be stored with your protocol information.

1. Samples should be representative aliquots of the larger (master cell bank) volume of material proposed to be utilized in the project. Collection of material for PCR pathogen testing should be performed ASEPTICALLY to prevent inadvertent contamination of the samples.
2. Cell Cultures
   • 1. Submit two undiluted cell culture aliquots of at least 200 microliters each (to allow CRL to perform confirmatory testing) and ship frozen. Dry ice is not required since the samples will be picked up and arrive at CRL on the same day.
   • 2. Cell number is not critical; however, please note on the submission form if there are more than 5 x 10^7 cells/ml.
   • 3. If possible, samples should be passaged without antibiotics prior to submission. CRL recommends a minimum of two passages if the cells are washed twice between passages. If cells are cryopreserved without antibiotics, samples may be submitted as is.
3. Other Biological Materials
   • Serum, ascites, or other liquid: 2 vials of at least 0.2ml/vial shipped on dry ice.
   • Antibodies: It may not be possible to send this sample amount for expensive materials such as antibodies. In this case, a single undiluted aliquot of a reasonable volume can be submitted.
   • Reducing sample volume will reduce analytical sensitivity. Do not dilute sample to reach a specified sample volume.
   • • CRL recommends that for pooling samples, add 200 microliters of each sample (media/cells) to two vials.
       Please note: it is important that the media is included as the virus may be associated with the media and not necessarily the cells.
     • Up to four samples may be pooled. If results are negative, then the tested samples are SPF. If results indicate contamination, individual vials representing each of the pooled submissions will need to be submitted and each sample must be tested separately for the pathogen detected at current cost per CRL. Please note that pooling of samples is not recommended by CRL.