Genetic Quality Controls for Inbred Strains and Outbred Stocks

Genetic quality control measures are imperative in maintaining the integrity and reliability of inbred strains and outbred stocks within laboratory animal facilities. In addition to health and microbiology monitoring, genetic quality control plays a crucial role in ensuring the accuracy of animal models. Therefore, it is essential that research studies utilizing laboratory rodents, particularly mice and rats, employ genetically defined animals. This chapter aims to outline the objectives and available methods for implementing genetic quality assurance programs in rodent facilities, highlighting two primary goals for inbred strains: (i) verifying the authenticity and uniformity of inbred strains and their substrains to ensure consistent genetic backgrounds and reliable colony maintenance, and (ii) detecting potential genetic contamination. When it comes to outbred rodents, the implementation of genetic quality controls presents some unique challenges since outbred stocks are bred for genetic heterogeneity. However, there are still important genetic quality control measures that can be applied to ensure the reliability and consistency of outbred populations.