Animal Care and Use in CDC Laboratory Research

CDC has a legal and moral responsibility to ensure that the animals entrusted to our care are treated in accordance with the highest standards of animal welfare and care. Research studies involving animals conducted at or supported by CDC must comply with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations promulgated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under Title 9, Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 1-3 as well as the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy) administered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW). In addition, all animal studies must be approved by and conducted in accordance with the policies set forth by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), an oversight body mandated by the AWA to review all research studies involving animals at CDC to ensure compliance with animal welfare standards.

Please scroll down for more information and links to some of the regulatory and ethical standards governing research with animals at CDC.

Laws, Regulations, and Standards Governing Research with Animals

Public Laws

USDA Animal Welfare Act (AWA), 7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq., as amended.

Health Research Extension Act of 1985 (“Animals in Research”) [Public Law 99-158]

Regulations

USDA Animal Welfare Regulations, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 9, Chapter 1, Subchapter A, Parts 1, 2, and 3.

Standards and Principles

Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy)

U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training

AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia, 2013 (PDF, 549KB), American Veterinary Medical Association.

This page contains several links to PDF files which may require a browser plug-in to view correctly. If you do not have the most recent version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, or are having difficulty viewing the PDF, download the plug-in here.