Dr. Werner Nicklas

Immunofluorescence labeling (green) reveals proteins of a mouse Hepatitis virus within mouse fibroblast cells. However, the magnification is not high enough to discern individual viruses | © dkfz.de

Utilizing a minimum number of experimental animals, meaningful scientific results can only be obtained if the animals are free of pathogens that may falsify experimental results. Microbiologically standardized animals are a prerequisite for restricting animal experiments to the “inevitable amount” required by law. It is the task of the Microbiological Diagnostics laboratory to prevent the introduction of harmful microorganisms into laboratory animal care at the Center and to make sure that the animals kept at the Central Animal Laboratory are free of infections or parasites. Before use in experiments, biological materials such as cells, tumor samples, and serums are also screened for contaminations by bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

Further services provided:

Microbiological counseling

Providing reference organisms (especially rodent-relevant bacteria, viruses)

Providing polyclonal antibodies against microorganisms of mice and rats

Detection of antibodies against microorganisms that are pathogenic in rodents

Compiling results of microbiological studies for publications, health certificates