[Zbrafish] Suggestions for fish room entry-ways

[Austin Bailey]

Your not alone in this search.  Barrier strategies are definitely some  
of the most difficult aspects to retrofit for an existing facility.   
For this reason, something completely independent of the building  
infrastructure is usually recommended.  Dedicated shoes fall into this  
category.  You'd still need to confirm that you have space for a  
changing area.  Because of the traffic outside the room, I'd recommend  
swapping shoes inside the room.  This will keep the aquatic shoes as  
clean as possible.

But any strategy needs to be viewed in the context of the overall  
containment and barrier strategies for the facility.  Pathogen control  
is only as good as its weakest link.  Although they may be warranted  
in certain cases, strategies like disinfectant shoe baths are a  
holdover from the rodent industry.  Most installations I've seen allow  
users to often step over or around the mats.  With proper floor and  
hand sanitization, shoe sterilization might not be as necessary.  And  
if other barriers are not in place, foot sanitization may be a moot  
point.

The most effective strategies for barrier to pathogens involve  
unidirectional workflow coupled with those primary barriers such as  
foot baths and hand sanitization.  If there are multiple entrances to  
your facility this may be something to consider.  If you have only a  
single entrance, then foot sanitization becomes much less effective  
due to the cross traffic in, out and past the single entrance - even  
with a walk-off mat in place.  It may be much more effective in your  
case to focus on regular sanitization of the floor and other  
established methods of pathogen control.

Austin Bailey
Rowell Brokaw Architects, PC
1 East Broadway, Suite 300
Eugene, OR 97401
tel: 541.485.1003
www.rowellbrokaw.com