Veterinary Services & Laboratory Animal Health Monitoring
Why It is Critical?
The health status of laboratory animals directly impacts scientific data accuracy, reproducibility, and validity. Pathogen infections can cause morbidity or mortality or trigger subtle physiological, immunological, or behavioral changes that confound experimental results. Regular health monitoring enables early risk detection, upholding research integrity and global standards.
Common Pathogen Monitoring Methods
Serology: Detects antibodies in blood to screen for viral and bacterial infections.
Parasitology: Examines skin scrapings or feces for internal and external parasites.
Bacteriology: Cultures swab samples to identify specific pathogenic bacteria.
Molecular Diagnostics (PCR): Uses high-sensitivity techniques to detect pathogen nucleic acids, ideal for early infection screening.
We offer comprehensive lab animal health monitoring protocols for multiple research species, supporting both routine surveillance and disease diagnosis. Our coverage includes rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, non-human primates, rabbits, poultry, dogs, cats, ferrets, and more.
Our testing laboratory follows key testing standards, like Chinese National Standards (GB), VAF, and the European FELASA. We screen for common parasites, bacteria, and viruses to meet the diverse quality needs of domestic and international clients.
Research Animal Health Profile
The industry commonly recognizes three distinct international and leading frameworks for defining animal health status to meet diverse research requirements:
-
China's National Standard (GB)
-
Charles River's proprietary VAF standard
-
The European FELASA guidelines.
SPF Standard
(China National Standard，中國國家標準)
Reference Standard
Complies with GB 14922-2022 "Laboratory animal—Microbiological and parasitical standards and monitoring".
參考標準：
符合 GB 14922-2022《實驗動物 微生物、寄生蟲學等級及監測》。
Key Characteristics
This is the mandatory baseline for domestic research in China. It defines specific pathogen-free status based on a nationally unified list of excluded agents.
VAF Standard
(Charles River Definition)
Reference Standard
Adheres to Charles River Laboratories’ proprietary VAF (Virus Antibody Free) specifications, representing an industry-leading premium tier.
Key Characteristics
Features exclusion criteria strictly more rigorous than national SPF standards. It covers additional pathogens not included in the basic GB list, strengthens viral detection and exclusion, and reduces interference with experiments.
FELASA Standard
(European Guidelines)
Reference Standard
Aligns with the FELASA (Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations) Recommendations, the most rigorous and harmonized framework in Europe.
Key Characteristics
Emphasizes standardized testing frequencies, robust sentinel animal strategies, and a unified list of recommended pathogens across Europe. It ensures high comparability of data across multi-center international studies.
Charles River animal models fully comply with all three standards above - giving you total confidence in every study.
Other Services
In addition to pathogen testing, we also provide:
Hematology and Blood Biochemistry Testing
Microbial Testing of Materials and Environments
Exogenous Agent Testing for Vaccines
Genetic Testing
Serological Test Kits
NEED OUR HELP?
Contact us to establish your testing standards and sampling strategies and get immediate technical support.
