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Open Access FELASA-AALAS Recommendations for Biosecurity in an Aquatic Facility, Including Prevention of Zoonosis, Introduction of New Fish Colonies, and Quarantine

FELASA and AALAS established a joint working group to advise on good practices for the exchange of fish for research. In a first manuscript, the working group made recommendations for health monitoring and reporting of monitoring results. The focus of this second related manuscript is biosecurity in fish facilities. First, we define the risk of contamination of personnel by zoonotic pathogens from fish or from system water, including human mycobacteriosis. Preventive measures are recommended, such as wearing task-specific personal protective equipment. Then we discuss biosecurity, highlighting the establishment of biosecurity barriers to preserve the health status of a facility. A functional biosecurity program relies on integration of the entire animal facility organization, including the flow of staff and animals, water treatments, and equipment sanitation. Finally, we propose 4 steps for introducing new fish colonies: consideration of international trade and national restrictions; assessing risk according to fish source and developmental stage; establishing quarantine barriers; and the triage, screening, and treatment of newly imported fish. We then provide 3 realistic sample scenarios to illustrate practical biosecurity risk assessments and mitigation measures based on considerations of health status and quarantine conditions.

Document Type: Miscellaneous

Affiliations: 1: DanioVet, Joint Production System Ltd, Potters Bar, UK;, Email: [email protected] 2: Veterinary Care and Services, Charles River Laboratories, Senneville, Quebec, Canada 3: Zebrafish Research Facility, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA 4: VetoFish, Chateauneuf Les Martigues, France 5: Zebrafish International Resource Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA 6: Chronic Diseases Research Center (CEDOC), Nova Medical School, Lisbon; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusophone University of Humanities and Technologies, Lisbon, Portugal; Gulbenkian Institute of Science, Oeiras, Portugal; ISPA – University Institute of Psychological, Social and Life Sciences, Lisbon, Portugal; Lisbon Oceanarium, Lisbon, Portugal

Publication date: 01 June 2022

This article was made available online on 10 June 2022 as a Fast Track article with title: "FELASA-AALAS Recommendations for Biosecurity in an Aquatic Facility, Including Prevention of Zoonosis, Introduction of New Fish Colonies, and Quarantine".

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  • Comparative Medicine (CM), an international journal of comparative and experimental medicine, is the leading English-language publication in the field and is ranked by the Science Citation Index in the upper third of all scientific journals. The mission of CM is to disseminate high-quality, peer-reviewed information that expands biomedical knowledge and promotes human and animal health through the study of laboratory animal disease, animal models of disease, and basic biologic mechanisms related to disease in people and animals.

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