NIH Guidelines, Appendix G — Insect and Rodent Control Programs in Recombinant DNA Laboratories

Citation

NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules, National Institutes of Health, Office of Science Policy (cover date April 2024). The official host returned an access block to automated requests, so the text was first read on September 24, 2026 from the Internet Archive's capture of the official file at the same address (taken September 18, 2026). On September 25, 2026 the live file was read directly: it returned the same SHA-256 checksum as the capture, so the two are byte-identical, and each Appendix G and Appendix K item quoted below was confirmed on its printed page.

What It Says (Verbatim)

Applicability:

“Section I-C-1-a-(1). Research that is conducted at or sponsored by an institution that receives any support for recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid research from NIH, including research performed directly by NIH. An individual who receives support for research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acids must be associated with or sponsored by an institution that assumes the responsibilities assigned in the NIH Guidelines.”

Section I-D, Compliance:

“As a condition for NIH funding of recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecule research, institutions shall ensure that such research conducted at or sponsored by the institution, irrespective of the source of funding, shall comply with the NIH Guidelines.”

The insect and rodent item is a special practice at each containment level:

BL1 (p. 76):

“Appendix G-II-A-2-b. An insect and rodent control program is in effect.”

BL2 (p. 78):

“Appendix G-II-B-2-e. An insect and rodent control program is in effect.”

BL3 (p. 80), as printed:

“Appendix G-II-C-2-h. An insect and rodent program is in effect.”

BL4 (p. 87):

“Appendix G-II-D-2-h. An insect and rodent control program is in effect.”

Large scale work at BL3, Appendix K (p. 103):

“Appendix K-V-O-9. An effective insect and rodent control program shall be maintained.”

Appendix G-III-B (p. 91):

“Appendix G-III-B. Arthropod Containment Guidelines, Version 3.2, 2019, and Addendum 1 Containment Practices for Arthropods Modified with Engineered Transgenes Capable of Gene Drive, 2022, American Committee of Medical Entomology, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Arlington, Virginia.”

What It Means in Plain Language

The NIH Guidelines apply to recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid research at any institution that receives NIH support for that kind of research. Section I-D extends the condition to all such research at the institution, “irrespective of the source of funding.” At an institution that receives NIH support for recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid research, non-exempt research contained under Appendix G (BL1 through BL4) is under the insect and rodent item. Large-scale, plant, and certain animal work fall under Appendices K, L, and M, which supersede Appendix G for that work.

The BL3 item reads “an insect and rodent program,” without the word “control.” It is quoted here as printed.

For insectaries, the Guidelines point to the Arthropod Containment Guidelines.

Who It Applies To

Institutions that receive NIH support for recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid research, for all such non-exempt research they conduct or sponsor (Sections I-C and I-D). Oversight runs through the institution's Institutional Biosafety Committee.

Documentation Evidence

• The insect and rodent control program, by laboratory or building, in the institution's biosafety manual
• Service and monitoring records for rooms where covered research is registered with the IBC
• For large-scale BL3 work, records showing the program is maintained

Confidence Notes

HIGH confidence. The live official file (Last-Modified December 12, 2025; cover date April 2024; 132 pages) returned SHA-256 a47072766422f8ef4d8c85096ad0445bc6da004ab8eac27af6a08d31f94095a2 on September 25, 2026, identical to the archived capture the quotations were copied from. The phrase “insect and rodent” appears exactly five times in the file: the four Appendix G items and Appendix K-V-O-9 quoted above.