Education
and Prevention Materials
Methods for Trapping
and Sampling Small Mammals for Virologic Testing
 About
the manual
This manual is intended as a guide for those persons performing ecologic
and epidemiologic studies involving populations of rodents which are potentially
infected with hantavirus. However, the procedures outlined are appropriate
for any study of small-mammal populations that may harbor an infectious
zoonotic agent capable of causing severe disease or death.
The
manual covers the following major topics in detail: selection of appropriate
collection sites; trapping methods that provide a representative sample
of the rodent population; handling, operation, and placement of traps
for small mammals; safe and humane techniques for trapping and handling
rodents; selection of appropriate sample fluids and tissues and detailed
methods for obtaining these samples; proper storage, packaging and shipment
of specimens to the laboratory; effective decontamination and cleaning
of traps and other materials; safe disposal of infectious wastes; and
careful collection and recording of all pertinent data.
The
manual is illustrated with black and white photos to assist the trainee
in understanding these techniques. Sample forms are provided in appendices
and can be adapted to specific programs by users.
It is our hope that
the information contained in this manual will provide assistance to investigators
involved in the collection and handling of small mammals and will facilitate
surveillance efforts necessary to control and prevent the spread of infectious
diseases.
Important
notes
Warning: The manual's text includes graphic photos of rodent necropsy
procedures. These images may not be appropriate for viewing by children.
The protocols described
herein have been approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Investigators conducting research
involving live animals should have their research protocols approved by
their institutional animal care and use committee and should conduct all
such research in accordance with federal guidelines (NIH 1985), the federal
Animal Welfare Act (P.L. 89-544, as amended by P.L. 91-579 and P.L. 94-279)
and Endangered Species Act (P.L. 93-205), and other applicable state and
local laws, regulations, or policies.
| Update
on specimen packing and shipping instructions |
 |
The manual contains
information on packing and shipping specimens. However, updated information
is available from two online sources:
| View
or print the manual |
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The
Manual is only available in the Adobe Acrobat reader format (.pdf).
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or print the .pdf files you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 3.0
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If you
do not have the reader, you may obtain it -- free -- from Adobe Corporation. Click
on the Adobe Acrobat Reader icon at the left to
download the program from their website.
Manual cover
Acknowledgments,
title page, preface, table of contents
Manual
text
Appendix
| View
Manual in Spanish |
|
A Spanish
version of the Manual is found on the Pan American Health Organization's
(PAHO) website.
Método para el trampeo y muestreo de pequeños mamíferos
para estudios virológicos.
Acrobat
Reader format (PDF) version
|
