MICE, a program to track and monitor animals in animal facilities

Abstract

Background: A growing number of laboratories are using the mouse as a model system in developmental biology as well as in molecular biology. Surprisingly, most of these laboratories do not have reliable computerized systems to track these animals, and the few commercial solutions available are expensive. We thus developed MICE (Mouse Information and Classification Entity), a program aimed at facilitating the monitoring of animals in animal facilities.

Results: This program consists of a virtual facility in which scientists can perform all the tasks done in the real world (i.e., receiving animals, breeding them, preparing cage labels, etc.). Recording of each animal (birth date, cage number, ID number, tail analysis number, parents, genetic status, genetic background, etc.) enables reliable tracking. According to any parameter of interest, animals can then be identified, grouped, sorted, moved, and so forth. Crossings are automatically processed by the program. For example, new genetic backgrounds, generation number, and anticipated due dates are determined. The program also reminds the user when new births are expected and entering newborn animals only requires a few clicks. The genealogy of each animal can be determined in two different ways, one being the visualization of a genealogical tree from which information of ancestors can be retrieved.

Conclusion: This standalone program, that will be distributed free of charge to academic laboratories requesting a license, represents a new and valuable tool for all animal facility users, and permits simple and reliable tracking and retrieving of animals.

Figure 1

Opening screen.This opening screen displays the different choices available when entering MICE. First, a user name has to been entered from the pop up and customizable list. Then, clicking the buttons will allow either displaying, crossing, or importing animals.

Figure 2

Entering new animals. This screen displays the different parameters that can be entered when a new animal is received in the facility. By default, the date is set to the date that the program is opened, and the owner identified as the user of the program (name selected from the opening screen when opening the application). Number of animals received allows to enter in one single step all the identical animal received. The other parameters can be entered later on.

Figure 3

Entering crossings. This screen appears when a crossing has been entered. All the information entered during the crossing procedure are displayed, as well as the calculated due date and the unique ID number attributed by the program. The parents are clearly identified through their names, unique ID#, and analysis #. When one or both parents originate from another facility, it is also specified. If additional comments have been forgotten, it is still possible to enter them on the bottom field, and validate the entry by clicking on the "Update" button. These comments and parameters will follow each of the future animals throughout their life.

Figure 4

List of animal present in MICE. This is the list of animals present in MICE. The most important information is displayed on one lane per animal: ID#, name, parents ID#, generation, birth date, genetic status, sex, status, cage#, owner and analysis #. Clicking on the name will display all information available for that specific animal (see Fig. 5). The little symbolized tree gives access to the genealogy of the animal chosen, while clicking on the siblings button will post the list of all the animals from the same litter. Clicking on the status, cage, owner or analysis will allow to modify these parameters if necessary, as well as the generation number. Sex can be entered by clicking on the corresponding case. Note that the birth date, for reliability reasons, cannot be modified. Animals of interest can be marked by clicking on their "mark" case to be quickly isolated later on, by clicking on the "Find marked" button. "Mark these" will mark the animals currently displayed, for example those isolated following a search (see Fig. 6). "Clear these marks" is used to remove marks present within the list of animals currently browsed, while "Clear all marks" will erase all marks, even those that are not in the list currently browsed. The top control panel gives access to the other options of MICE, and the print icon controls the printing of the list of animals being browsed.

Figure 5

Information on a specific animal. Clicking on the animal name from the list display will open this window, on which all information available for the current animal is presented. As in the list presentation, the animal can be marked, and genealogy can be explored, either through a visual tree (tree icon), or by selecting the "Check Dad" or the "Check Mom" buttons. Information on animals placed before and after in the list display can also be visualized by clicking on either the "Previous" and "Next" button, at the bottom of the screen.

Figure 6

Genealogy display. When the symbolized tree button is selected, this page is displayed. It represents the genealogy of the selected animal, up to 5 generations. Each ancestor is identified by its name and ID#. In addition, birth dates, analyses #, genetic status, generations and cage numbers are presented. When a parent is not available, his box displays "Unknown". When an ancestor is dead, the cage # is replaced by "Dead". Any ancestor presented can be accessed by clicking on its card, in order to get additional information. A new genealogy search can be performed from this ancestor, allowing to go back 5 more generations. This process can be indefinitely repeated. The trees can be printed by clicking on the printer icon.