FARMS Biosecurity Protocol

Subject to modification by the Biosecurity Subcommittee of the CVM Occupational Health and Safety Committee without approval.

Printable PDF: FARMS Biosafety Protocol

Policy  

This policy describes measures to limit the spread of infectious agents through the Hospital, indications for appropriate management of patients suspected/confirmed to have contagious/zoonotic infectious diseases, and administrative monitoring of patients with infectious diseases. 

This policy applies to all faculty, staff (employees and volunteers), and students who have direct contact with animals while working in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH).  

Guidelines

The FARMS biosecurity policy serves to establish and maintain procedures that prevent:      

1. Spread of contagious disease from affected animals to susceptible animals.
2. Transmission of zoonotic disease from affected animals to students, clients, hospital employees, and volunteers.
3. Exposure of contagious disease patients to other infectious agents.

To do this, it is necessary to: 

1. Identify animals likely to transmit disease.
2. Effectively communicate infectious disease status to clients, students, hospital staff, and laboratory personnel.

Procedure (if applicable)

1. GENERAL WARD PRACTICES
   1. Coveralls and washable boots must be worn whenever working in Ward 1. 
   2. Coveralls and boots should not be worn outside of Ward 1 unless ongoing care is being provided to a patient (e.g., radiology, surgery).  If work attire is worn outside of Ward 1:
      1. Wash and disinfect boots before leaving Ward 1
      2. Change overalls before leaving if the overalls are soiled or contaminated.
   3. Soiled or contaminated coveralls and scrubs should be changed between patients and/or procedures.
   4. Boots should be washed and disinfected between patients.
   5. Whenever practical, wear gloves when working with animals.  Wash hands and change gloves between patients.
   6. Hose off and disinfect stocks and chutes between patients from different farms with appropriate disinfectant agents.
   7. No food or drink for human consumption can be brought into Ward 1.
   8. Boot wash stations need to be recharged at least daily with appropriate agent.
   9. Wash hands thoroughly before leaving the ward.
   10. Additional PPE is available in the closet at the entrance to Ward 1.  Anyone consulting on patients in Ward 1 is expected to wear PPE.   Used PPE may be discarded in the bins at the ward exit for laundering.

2. PROCEDURES FOR ANIMALS WITH CLINICAL SIGNS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE
   1. Stalls will be marked with green, yellow, or red cards indicating the level of risk. The supervising clinician is responsible for assessing the level of risk for suspected cases.
      1. Green:  Healthy animal (i.e., elective surgery or calving watch)
      2. Yellow:  Sick animal with moderate risk of disease transfer (i.e., calf with diarrhea, pneumonia)
      3. Red:  High risk for transfer to other animals or people (i.e., Salmonella, cryptosporidiosis)

1. 2. Animals with diarrhea or respiratory disease (Yellow card)
      1. Wear gloves at all times in the stall
      2. Disinfect the stethoscope after use on the patient.
      3. Use a dedicated thermometer on the patient (provided by FARMS service)
      4. After working with the animal, wash boots upon exiting the stall, remove overalls, remove gloves, and wash hands or use hand sanitizer.
      5. Patient should be confined to stall.  If it is absolutely necessary to perform procedures outside the stall (i.e., radiography), chutes, equipment, and path of travel should be disinfected or sprayed down with an appropriate agent.
      6. Patients with respiratory disease should be housed as far away from other patients as possible.
      7. Designate specific bottles/nipples for each neonate and label as such to prevent cross-contamination.

1. 3. Animals with a disease or suspected disease that has above average zoonotic risk (e.g., Salmonella, Cryptosporidia) or above average risk to other animals (e.g., vesicular lesions) (Red card)
      1. Full isolation protocol should be implemented.
      2. Notices must be placed on the stall indicating possible infectious disease. Large animals are isolated in the stalls on the east side. Small animals are isolated in the calf stalls. Gates are used to limit foot traffic.
      3. Gloves, plastic boots and isolation suits should be worn at all times in the stall.  Put on gloves first, followed by suit, then boots.  Remove in reverse order when leaving the isolation area.
      4. Place the foot bath with the appropriate agent outside the isolation area and walk through it to enter and exit the isolation area.
      5. A designated isolation cart with designated equipment should be used exclusively on the isolated patient.  All equipment should be disinfected with an appropriate agent at the completion of the course of treatment.
      6. Patient should be confined to the stall at all times.
      7. Traffic around the isolated stall should be reduced to an absolute minimum.
      8. If possible, students working with the isolated patient should not be assigned to additional cases.

3. ORDER OF CASES FOR: PHYSICAL EXAMS, TREATMENTS, PROCEDURES, ETC. 

1. 1. Healthy or non-infectious neonates must be handled first.
   2. Animals with confirmed or suspected infectious disease must be handled last, moving from the lowest-risk animal to the highest-risk animal. The above-noted biocontainment procedures must be followed in between all patients, regardless of perceived risk.

4. BIOSECURITY FOR AMBULATORY CALLS 

1. 1. Boots must be cleaned and disinfected before leaving the farm or stored in plastic bags if it is not practical to clean the boots on site.  All boots must be disinfected in Ward 1 on return.
   2. Coveralls must be removed and placed in plastic bags before leaving the farm.  Do not wear the same overalls between farms.
   3. Outerwear must be laundered upon return.  The washers and dryers in LAC are available for student use.
   4. Equipment used on the farm must be cleaned and disinfected before further use.

Definitions (if applicable)

Zoonotic disease – Diseases transmissible between people and animals

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)- Personal protective equipment may include items such as gloves, safety glasses and shoes, earplugs or muffs, hard hats, respirators, or coveralls, vests, washable boots, and full body suits.

Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) – The collective clinical services of the Large Animal Clinic, Midwest Equine, the Small Animal Clinic, and the Veterinary Medicine South Clinic.