Under which legislation are animals excluded from coverage, including Rattus and Mus?

The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is the legislation that explicitly excludes certain species from coverage, specifically including rats of the genus Rattus and mice of the genus Mus. The AWA governs the treatment of animals in research and other settings, but it has specific exclusions regarding certain animals that are commonly used in laboratory settings, particularly rodents.

This exclusion is significant for researchers and IACUC professionals because it means that while these animals are widely used in biomedical research, they are not subject to the same regulatory framework that governs other animals under the AWA. This can impact how animal care and use protocols are developed, reviewed, and implemented for these species.

Legislation like the Animal Rights Act, Animal Production Standards, and the Laboratory Animal Welfare Code do not specifically establish exclusions of Rattus and Mus in the same way that the AWA does. Therefore, the correct answer highlights the specificity of the AWA in this context.