ALAT Facility Operations and Sanitation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An animal room has a persistent ammonia odor despite regular cage changes. What is the most likely corrective action?
- Increase the lighting hours
- Increase cage change frequency or improve ventilation (Correct answer)
- Reduce the animals' water supply
- Switch to a different species of bedding insect
Correct answer: Increase cage change frequency or improve ventilation
Persistent ammonia buildup indicates that cage change frequency or room ventilation is insufficient to remove waste-derived gases.
Question 2: What is the function of a biological safety cabinet (BSC) Class II Type A2 in an animal facility?
- To store hazardous chemicals at low temperature
- To protect personnel, the environment, and the product from contamination (Correct answer)
- To sterilize large volumes of liquid media
- To house animals requiring strict isolation
Correct answer: To protect personnel, the environment, and the product from contamination
A Class II Type A2 BSC provides personnel, environmental, and product protection by recirculating HEPA-filtered air within the cabinet.
Question 3: Which disinfectant class is considered most effective against non-enveloped viruses in animal facilities?
- Quaternary ammonium compounds
- Aldehydes such as glutaraldehyde or accelerated hydrogen peroxide (Correct answer)
- Simple soaps and detergents
- Isopropyl alcohol at 30%
Correct answer: Aldehydes such as glutaraldehyde or accelerated hydrogen peroxide
Non-enveloped viruses are more resistant to disinfectants, and aldehydes or accelerated hydrogen peroxide products are among the most effective against them.
Question 4: What is the purpose of a sentinel animal program in a laboratory animal facility?
- To train new technicians on animal handling
- To monitor the health status of a colony by exposing specific animals to potential pathogens (Correct answer)
- To identify animals with the highest genetic value
- To quarantine newly arrived animals
Correct answer: To monitor the health status of a colony by exposing specific animals to potential pathogens
Sentinel animals are exposed to dirty bedding or other colony materials so that their health status reflects the overall disease status of the room or colony.
Question 5: In a negative-pressure isolation room, air flows in which direction relative to the corridor?
- From the corridor into the room (Correct answer)
- From the room into the corridor
- Equally in both directions
- Upward through ceiling vents only
Correct answer: From the corridor into the room
Negative-pressure rooms draw air inward from the corridor, preventing potentially contaminated room air from escaping and protecting the surrounding environment.
Question 6: What does 'contact time' mean in the context of disinfectant use?
- The time required to mix the disinfectant solution
- The duration the disinfectant must remain wet on a surface to be effective (Correct answer)
- The shelf life of the disinfectant after opening
- The time needed to rinse the disinfectant off equipment
Correct answer: The duration the disinfectant must remain wet on a surface to be effective
Contact time (dwell time) is the minimum time a disinfectant must remain on the surface while wet to achieve the labeled level of microbial kill.
Question 7: Which record is most important to maintain for each cage washing cycle in an animal facility?
- The number of animals housed in washed cages
- Wash water temperature and cycle duration logs (Correct answer)
- The breed and age of animals using the cages
- The brand of bedding used in the cages
Correct answer: Wash water temperature and cycle duration logs
Documenting wash water temperature and cycle duration provides verifiable evidence that sanitization parameters met the required standards for each load.
ALAT Facility Operations and Sanitation 5
An animal room has a persistent ammonia odor despite regular cage changes.
What is the most likely corrective action?