Laboratory Animals最新文献

Extending an existing animal facility is a challenging process that requires consideration of both engineering and biological aspects. In this sense, integration with ongoing activities must not alter the animals' microbiological condition or welfare, as they usually remain in the facility while these activities occur. The objective of this work was to describe and evaluate the practical biosafety considerations during the enlargement of a specific pathogen-free (SPF) rodent facility. Our facility breeds rats and mice free of a list of zoonotic and common rodent pathogens, comprising 6 ectoparasites, 13 endoparasites, 25 bacteria and 23 viruses. In this project, the new SPF area was connected to an old but still working SPF rodent facility through the original clean corridor. The old clean corridor remained sealed throughout the project, and it was not opened until the new area was finished and fully equipped, all the new rooms were cleaned and disinfected, and the environment was evaluated for the presence of pathogens. Timing during the project was essential, as avoidance of the period of high animal production and demand was sought. The microbiological controls showed no growth of microorganisms in any new room. Thus, the applied procedures were deemed effective. It was concluded that protocols should be carefully planned in order to maintain the SPF condition and animal welfare.

For operant self-administration, permanent intravenous cannulas need to remain open and operational for months without infections or blockages. Here, we report retrospectively on our experiences and observations using different access systems during three studies. We identified a refined method for vena jugularis cannulation that is a vast improvement for the animals, biotechnicians and researchers. A closed and membrane-sealed system equipped with a magnet in the backmount was easy to use, allowed quick (dis)connection, caused no more than 10% of the animals a little irritation and superficial infection (softer patch), prevented clogging (closed system) and allowed for social housing (metal cap).

How do you promote ethical principles on a global scale regarding the use of animals for scientific purposes within a global pharmaceutical company like Sanofi? In 2017, the Advisory Body on Animal Ethics (ABAE) was created to harmonize animal ethics across all Sanofi sites. As an advisory body to the Bioethics Committee, the ABAE addresses societal concerns related to the use of animals and develops corporate policies on critical topics. Its composition, objectives and operating processes are described, along with the results achieved. Emphasis is placed on responsibilities, training and the promotion of a culture of care. The existence of an advisory body such as the ABAE can be replicated in other institutions to demonstrate commitment to an ethical approach to the use of animals worldwide.

Diabetes mellitus, characterized by insufficient insulin secretion and impaired insulin efficacy, disrupts carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism. The global diabetic population is expected to double by 2025, from 380 million, posing a significant health challenge. Most diabetic individuals fall into the type 1 or type 2 categories, and diabetes adversely affects various organs, such as the kidneys, liver, nervous system, reproductive system, and eyes.This review focuses on animal models of diabetes induced by chemical agents, which are essential tools for understanding disease mechanisms, investigating complications, and testing antidiabetic drugs. Models include those caused by streptozotocin (STZ), alloxan, ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA), dithizone, and anti-insulin serum.Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes models create type 1 and 2 diabetes by destroying pancreatic beta cells. The combination of STZ with nicotinamide mimics type 2 diabetes phenotypes. Alloxan induces a hyperglycemic state by causing free radical formation that selectively destroys pancreatic beta cells. Fe-NTA and dithizone also create diabetes models by damaging pancreatic beta cells. Anti-insulin serum models induce insulin resistance and hyperglycemia by generating antibodies against insulin receptors, leading to a condition similar to type 1 diabetes.Each model has unique characteristics that make it suitable for different aspects of diabetes research. These models are used to understand the pathogenesis of diabetes, develop new treatment strategies, and evaluate the efficacy of potential drugs.

The knowledge and attitude of researchers can affect the validity of laboratory animal (LAN) research. However, studies show that not all researchers possess the required knowledge and appropriate attitude for performing valid research on animals. This may have several reasons, such as high heterogeneity in the educational backgrounds of researchers in animal trials. In this study, we hypothesized that properly designed intensive educational intervention could improve the knowledge and attitude of a mixed population of researchers, regardless of their heterogeneity. We delivered 10 country-wide two-day LAN workshops for academic members, postgraduate students and members of the ethics committees of the medical universities in Iran. Using pre-/post-intervention design, we found that the intervention highly significantly (p < 0.001) improved the knowledge score (from 2.96 ± 1.483 to 4.63 ± 1.548 mean ± SD; range: 0-8; n = 236) and attitude score (from 62.65 ± 5.160 to 65.57 ± 4.716; range: 14-70; N = 229). We also found that the educational intervention was significantly (p = 0.035) more effective to improve the knowledge of participants with more years of experience in LAN science. Unexpectedly, our younger participants (overall age range: 19-67 years old; mean ± SD: 37.96 ± 9.55) had lower initial attitude score. However, education was significantly (p = 0.002) more effective to improve the attitude score of younger participants. The knowledge and attitude improvements were not related to educational background, gender, history of prior attendance in LAN courses and amount of animal use. Attendees' performance in the final assessment showed that they require more education on the 'anesthesia/analgesia' topic. They also declared a high interest in learning more on the design of LAN studies.

For over 40 years, ivermectin has served as an effective anti-parasitic drug used in human and veterinary medicine. In laboratory animal facilities it is used prophylactically or therapeutically to maintain the health status of the colony or experimentally in studies. Although ivermectin is generally safe to use, there are reports of neurotoxicity associated with ivermectin crossing the blood-brain barrier due to overdosing or blood-brain barrier dysfunction. In mice, P-glycoprotein maintains the blood-brain barrier and mice with a mutation in the P-glycoprotein encoding gene mdr1a are 50-100 times more sensitive to ivermectin. Signs of neurotoxicity include ataxia, bradypnea, recumbency, tremor, and death. We report neurotoxicity after ivermectin administration was used for the purpose of eradicating the murine-specific intestinal nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus in C57BL/6NTac and C57BL/6NCrl mice. The mice were dewormed by subcutaneous administration of 10 or 20 mg/kg ivermectin to eradicate all stages of Heligmosomoides polygyrus. At 24-48h after deworming, 5% (n = 4) of the mice presented with tremor, ataxia, and/or head tilt. The affected mice were euthanised and gross pathological findings were found in one of the four mice (left-sided hydronephrosis). We assume that the observed neurological effects were due to defects in the blood-brain barrier, overdosing or individual sensitivity. This report provides a reason for caution when deworming laboratory mice subcutaneously with ivermectin at doses of 10 mg/kg or higher.

The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed account of our successful experience in establishing a functional zebrafish holding facility by repurposing materials from a previous installation. On the eve of the start-up of our new animal facility we were notified that a research centre was putting part of its zebrafish holding facility (29 racks, accessories, water treatment unit) up for sale. Although the originally planned room was designed for six double racks, but encouraged by the increasing use of the zebrafish model, we decided to seize the opportunity, purchase the equipment and utilize it to create a larger configuration and an independent quarantine to protect the main facility. This decision inevitably led to extra expenses and situations, such as reinforcing the floor in the new location for the main facility, constructing an adjacent shelter for quarantine and adapting the racks. In spite of the additional costs, we consider the purchase and adaptation of this second-hand equipment for our facility to have been a success, and it has proven to be much more advantageous than acquiring brand new equipment. We trust that our experience will be of benefit to colleagues undertaking similar initiatives.

Pre-immunization with inactivated antigens has been developed as an alternative to the use of 'dirty' mice, which in contrast to specific pathogen free (SPF) mice, harbour a range of pathogens. Within certain research areas, such mice are considered better models for humans than SPF mice, as they have an immune system that better mirrors human immunity. We inactivated murine adenovirus type 1 (FL), minute virus of mice, mouse hepatitis virus (A59), respirovirus muris (Sendai), Theiler's encephalomyelitis virus (GD7) and Mycoplasma pulmonis by ultraviolet irradiation. We show that pre-immunization with these inactivated pathogens combined with adjuvant prior to the dietary induction of obesity in C57BL/6NTac mice substantially reduced the group sizes needed for showing an effect of the GLP-1 receptor analogue, liraglutide. Nesting, open field and novel object behaviours of the mice were unaffected. We conclude that pre-immunization with inactivated pathogens may be a simple tool to increase power in this type of intervention study on the DIO mouse model.