Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

January 22, 2017
Dr. Jeremy Smedley
Associate Professor, Washington National Primate Research Center
Subject: IACUC response to issue reported to the Committee
Dear Dr. Smedley,
At the January 19, 2017 IACUC meeting, the IACUC was informed that the cages of 6 nonhuman primates
housed in room I065d were not changed or sanitized within 14 days as required by University policy and the
Animal Welfare Act, section § 3.84 (b)(2) Cleaning, sanitization, housekeeping, and pest control. “Indoor
primary enclosures must be sanitized at least once every 2 weeks and as often as necessary to prevent an
excessive accumulation of dirt, debris, waste, food waste, excreta, or disease hazard, using one of the methods
prescribed in paragraph (b)(3) of this section. However, if the species of nonhuman primates housed in the
primary enclosure engages in scent marking, the primary enclosure must be sanitized at regular intervals
determined in accordance with generally accepted professional and husbandry practices.”
This decision was made by a supervisor due to the fact that in an additional 4 days, the cages would require
another change according to the SOP for the clinical treatment of the animals for MRSA. As a result, the
cages were not changed for 18 days. The Committee was also made aware of the death of a nonhuman primate
housed in this room. A separate letter will be submitted to you regarding this animal.
The Committee voted to send you this letter of reprimand to remind you that cages must be changed and
sanitized according to federal law and University policy unless an exception has been reviewed and approved by
the IACUC or is needed for medical reasons and directed by a WaNPRC veterinarian or the UW Attending
Veterinarian. The Committee understands that Center-wide retraining is underway and that steps are being
taken in order to prevent future occurrences of this nature. Please reply to this letter summarizing the actions
taken to ensure future compliance. Additionally, the IACUC requests that you, or someone in the management
chain, attended the next meeting to explain these actions.
Please reply by February 6, 2017.
As required by the University’s Animal Welfare Assurance (A3464-01), the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal
Welfare (OLAW) has been given a verbal report of this incident and a written report to them will follow.
Additionally, this noncompliance has been reported to the USDA.

Box 357160 Seattle, Washington 98195-7160

http://oaw.washington.edu

 Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

Sincerely,

Dr. Jane Sullivan
Associate Professor, Physiology and Biophysics
Chair, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
c:

Dr. Michael Mustari
Director, Washington National Primate Research Center
Dr. David M. Anderson
Executive Director, Health Sciences Administration
Institutional Official
Dr. Thompson-Iritani
Director, Office of Animal Welfare

Box 357160 Seattle, Washington 98195-7160

http://oaw.washington.edu