Working with laboratory rodents in Spain: a survey on welfare and wellbeing

Perceptions of 3R implementation in European animal research: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-synthesis of barriers and facilitators

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this systematic review was to examine how the scientific community in Europe that is involved with research with animals perceives and experiences the implementation of 3R (Replace, Reduce, Refine).

METHODS

A systematic search of the literature published in the past ten years was performed in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. Publications were screened for eligibility using a priori inclusion criteria, and only empirical evidence (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methodologies) was retained. Quantitative survey items were investigated by conducting a meta-analysis, and the qualitative data was summarized using an inductive meta-synthetic approach. Included publications were assessed using the Quality Assessment for Diverse Studies tool.

RESULTS

17 publications were included (eight quantitative, seven qualitative, two mixed-methods). The meta-analysis revealed that scientists are skeptical about achieving replacement, even if they believe that 3R improve the quality of experimental results. They are optimistic concerning the impact of 3R on research costs and innovation, and see education as highly valuable for the implementation of 3R. The meta-synthesis revealed four barriers (systemic dynamics, reification process, practical issues, insufficient knowledge) and four facilitators (efficient use of animals, caring for animals, regulatory uptake, supportive workplace environment).

CONCLUSION

These findings show actionable levers at the local and systemic levels, and may inform regulators and institutions in their 3R policies.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The protocol was registered into the PROSPERO database under the number CRD42023395769.

Perceived professional quality of life and mental well-being among animal facility personnel in Spain

Animal facility personnel provide the husbandry and care of laboratory animals. We aimed to investigate their work-related quality of life, empathy and mental well-being. Participants living in Spain were contacted by email and asked to complete an anonymous online questionnaire, in which they answered the Professional Quality of Life scale, the Cognitive and affective empathy test, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, and their perceived human-animal interaction. Participants were asked whether they were receiving psychological therapy or were taking anxiolytics, hypnotics or antidepressant medication. The study comprised 80 participants. No differences were observed related to personal or professional variables. Participants working with small carnivores reported higher total empathy, and those working with non-human primates reported higher emotional comprehension. Higher human-animal interaction was reported by participants working with small carnivores, farm animals and non-human primates. More than half of the participants reported high levels of mental well-being, positively correlated with emotional comprehension, emphatic joy and compassion satisfaction. Participants working with farm animals reported higher levels of secondary traumatic stress that was positively correlated with human-animal interaction and negatively with mental well-being. Most participants reported low-average levels of burnout, which was negatively correlated with mental well-being. The percentage of animal facility personnel in psychotherapy was higher than in the general population, and the consumption of anxiolytics was a little lower and antidepressants higher. Overall, our results indicate that animal-facility personnel who felt stress or worse mental well-being were in therapy and took medication to improve their condition.

Psychological stress and strain in laboratory animal professionals - a systematic review

Laboratory animal professionals (LAP) are faced with various situations and tasks influencing their mental well-being. A systematic review has been conducted to investigate whether there are specific stressors for LAP and which moderators are relevant for the development of psychological strain. A comprehensive search following PRISMA Guidelines was carried out in June 2021. Results include 12 studies and have been summarized qualitatively in narrative synthesis and tabular presentation. Available literature indicates that LAP are facing stressors but does not allow for conclusions on specific stressful job duties other than euthanasia.Signs of strain are present in LAP. Specifically, participants in qualitative studies reported acute symptoms, while chronic manifestations were in focus in quantitative studies. Although a wide variety of moderating factors have been investigated, only social support has been rated as relevant by multiple qualitative and quantitative studies without contrasting results.According to current data, there is a risk for psychological strain in LAP. However, there is limited understanding of specific stressors and data on moderators is diverse. Further studies that focus on domain-specific knowledge and clearly distinguish stressors from moderators are necessary to set up institutional programmes addressing psychological strain in LAP.

Individualized Housing Modifies the Immune–Endocrine System in CD1 Adult Male Mice

In the last years, different research groups have made considerable efforts to improve the care and use of animals in research. Mice (Mus musculus) are the most widely used animal species in research in the European Union and are sociable and hierarchical creatures. During experiments, researchers tend to individualize males, but no consideration is given to whether this social isolation causes them stress. The aim of this study was, therefore, to explore whether 4 weeks of social isolation could induce changes in different physiological parameters in adult Crl:CD1(ICR) (CD1) males, which may interfere with experimental results. Body weight, blood cells, and fecal corticosterone metabolites levels were the analyzed parameters. Blood and fecal samples were collected at weeks 1 and 4 of the experimental procedure. Four weeks of single housing produced a significant time-dependent decrease in monocytes and granulocytes. Fecal corticosterone metabolite levels were higher in single-housed mice after 1 week and then normalized after 4 weeks of isolation. Body weight, red blood cells, and platelets remained unchanged in both groups during this period. We can, therefore, conclude that social isolation affects some immune and endocrine parameters, and that this should be taken into account in the interpretation of research data.

Professional quality of life among Spanish veterinarians

BACKGROUND

In Spain, the perceived professional quality of life among veterinarians has not been explored.

METHODS

Veterinarians were invited to complete an online questionnaire in which they answered the Professional Quality of Life scale, the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. Participants were asked whether they were receiving psychological therapy or were taking anxiolytics, hypnotics or antidepressant medication. Alcohol consumption was measured using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and nicotine dependence was assessed using the Fagerström test; participants were asked whether they took illegal drugs.

RESULTS

The study sample comprised a total of 602 veterinarians, most of whom reported average levels of compassion satisfaction, secondary stress trauma and burnout. Emotional support and mental wellbeing influenced participants' professional quality of life. The percentage of veterinarians in psychological therapy and/or taking anxiolytics was higher than in the general population.

CONCLUSIONS

A considerable number of clinical veterinarians in Spain may be suffering from work-related stress. Our study identifies salary, emotional support and mental wellbeing as important factors that affect the professional quality of life. Interventions to improve veterinary clinicians' professional quality of life should therefore focus on these factors.

Refinement in the European Union: A Systematic Review

Refining experiments and housing conditions so as to cause the minimum possible pain and distress is one of the three principles (3Rs) on which Directive 2010/63/EU is based. In this systematic review, we aimed to identify and summarize published advances in the refinement protocols made by European Union-based research groups from 2011 to 2021, and to determine whether or not said research was supported by European or national grants. We included 48 articles, the majority of which were related to improvements in experimental procedures (37/77.1%) for mice (26/54.2%) and were written by research groups belonging to universities (36/57.1%) and from the United Kingdom (21/33.9%). More than two thirds (35/72.9%) of the studies received financial support, 26 (mostly British) at a national level and 8 at a European level. Our results indicated a clear willingness among the scientific community to improve the welfare of laboratory animals, as although funding was not always available or was not specifically granted for this purpose, studies were published nonetheless. However, in addition to institutional support based on legislation, more financial support is needed. We believe that more progress would have been made in refinement during these years if there had been more specific financial support available at both the national and European Union levels since our data suggest that countries investing in refinement have the greatest productivity in successfully publishing refinements.

Mice in translational neuroscience: What R we doing?

Animal models play a pivotal role in translational neuroscience but recurrent problems in data collection, analyses, and interpretation, lack of biomarkers, and a tendency to over-reliance on mice have marred neuroscience progress, leading to one of the highest attrition rates in drug translation. Global initiatives to improve reproducibility and model selection are being implemented. Notwithstanding, mice are still the preferred animal species to model human brain disorders even when the translation has been shown to be limited. Non-human primates are better positioned to provide relevant translational information because of their higher brain complexity and homology to humans. Among others, lack of resources and formal training, strict legislation, and ethical issues may impede broad access to large animals. We propose that instead of increasingly restrictive legislation, more resources for training, education, husbandry, and data sharing are urgently needed. The creation of multidisciplinary teams, in which veterinarians need to play a key role, would be critical to improve translational efficiency. Furthermore, it is not usually acknowledged by researchers and regulators the value of comparative studies in lower species, that are instrumental in toxicology, target identification, and mechanistic studies. Overall, we highlight here the need for a conceptual shift in neuroscience research and policies to reach the patients.

A survey on the use of mice, pigs, dogs and monkeys as animal models in biomedical research in Spain

Background

The use of animals in biomedical science remains controversial. An individual’s level of concern is generally influenced by their culture, previous or current experience with animals, and the specific animal species in question. In this study we aimed to explore what people in Spain who had never or who no longer worked with laboratory animals thought of the use of mice, pigs, dogs and monkeys for biomedical research purposes. We also aimed to determine whether or not people currently involved in biomedical research with the aforementioned species felt their work was justified.

Results

The study comprised a total of 807 participants (never worked = 285, used to work = 56, currently working = 466), almost two thirds of whom were women. Our results revealed that the phylogenetic scale is an important factor in people’s opinions of the use of certain species in research. The percentage of people who were against the use of dogs or monkeys was higher than that of those who were against the use of mice or pigs. The main reasons given for having stopped working with laboratory animals were change of professional career and change in research project. Participants who were currently working with animals believed that their work was justified, but said they did not talk about it with people outside their immediate social circle.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that there is a difference in moral status between monkeys and mice, as well as between companion animals (dogs) and farm animals (pigs). Our results support the idea that working with laboratory animals is a sensitive issue in Spain.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s42826-022-00124-5.

Professional Quality of Life in Research Involving Laboratory Animals

Many workers contribute to the success of animal welfare and study outcomes in biomedical research. However, the professional quality of life (ProQoL) of those who work with laboratory animals has not been explored in Spain. To this end, we adapted the ProQoL scale to the Spanish population working with laboratory animals. Participants were contacted by email and asked to complete an anonymous on-line questionnaire. The study comprised a total of 498 participants, 12.4% welfare officers/veterinarians, 19.5% caretaker/technicians, 13.9% principal investigators, 20.7% investigators, 13.6% research technicians, and 19.9% PhD students. The adapted scale revealed very good reliability and internal validity, providing information about two different subscales, compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue. Animal-facility personnel showed higher total ProQoL and compassion-satisfaction scores than researchers; PhD students showed the lowest scores. Thus, our results indicate that job category is a contributing factor in perceived professional quality of life. We observed that compassion satisfaction is negatively associated with the perceived animal stress/pain. Participants reporting poorer compassion satisfaction also reported lower social-support scores. Overall, our ProQoL scale is a useful tool for analyzing the professional quality of life in the Spanish population, and may help to design future interventions to improve workplace wellbeing in Spain and other Spanish-speaking populations.