The purpose of this project is to maintain an animal holding facility within a reasonable distance of the NIH campus, capable of handling rabbits, mice and guinea pigs. The animals shall be housed in such a way as to minimize microbial and chemical contamination from other animals in the facility. All animals shall be provided by the contractor and those animals arriving at the facility shall be in a quarantine area for a period designated by the Project Officer before they are transferred to a holding room. Animals entering the facility will be positively identified by a numbering system such as ear tags or tattoos, and a record book shall be maintained indicating number, strain, sex, date of birth and date of entry. The contractor shall provide adequate refrigerator and freezer storage space for sera from animals. The freezer shall contain an alarm system. Samples must be frozen in glass or plastic vials which will be provided by the Project Officer in some cases.
