How can colony managers prevent inadvertent cross-contamination between colonies?

• A. Cross-contamination is unavoidable.
• B. Share cages between colonies to save space.
• C. Only rely on random room cleaning.
• D. Use dedicated equipment, barrier housing if necessary, proper PPE, and strict movement controls and cleaning protocols.

Answer: (C)

Preventing inadvertent cross-contamination between colonies requires a layered, risk-based approach that blocks every potential transmission route. Use dedicated equipment for each colony (cages, water bottles, tools) so nothing from one group is shared with another. Barrier housing, when needed, physically separates colonies and reduces exposure to environmental pathogens. Provide proper PPE and enforce strict changes between colonies for gloves, lab coats, and footwear, along with diligent hand hygiene. Implement controlled movement of people and materials with clean-to-dirty workflows and procedures that minimize cross-contact, including decontaminating hands, gloves, and equipment between tasks. Enforce thorough cleaning and disinfection of enclosures and surfaces with validated agents, and quarantine new animals before integrating them, along with ongoing health monitoring. This combined strategy addresses multiple routes of spread and is far more reliable than relying on sporadic cleaning or sharing cages.