How many animals are used for SARS-CoV-2 research?: An overview on animal experimentation in pre-clinical and basic research

Rehoming and Other Refinements and Replacement in Procedures Using Golden Hamsters in SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Research

Effective vaccines are needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty golden hamsters were inoculated with two promising vaccine candidates and eighteen animals were used in pilot trials with viral challenge. ELISA assays were performed to determine endpoint serum titres for specific antibodies and virus neutralisation tests were used to evaluate the efficacy of antibodies. All tests with serum from vaccinated hamsters were negative even after booster vaccinations and changes in vaccination protocol. We concluded that antibodies did not have sufficient neutralising properties. Refinements were observed at all steps, and the in vitro method (virus neutralisation test) presented a replacement measure and ultimately lead to a reduction in the total number of animals used in the project. The institutional animal welfare officer and institutional designated veterinarian approved the reuse or rehoming of the surplus animals. Simple socialization procedures were performed and ultimately 19 animals were rehomed, and feedback was collected. Recently, FELASA published recommendations for rehoming of animals used for scientific and educational purposes, with species-specific guidelines, including mice, rats, and rabbits. Based on our positive experience and feedback from adopters, we concluded that the rehoming of rodents, including hamsters, is not only possible, but highly recommended.

Possible spread of SARS-CoV-2 in domestic and wild animals and body temperature role

The COVID-19 pandemic was officially announced in March 2020 and is still moving around the world. Virus strains, their pathogenicity and infectivity are changing, but the ability is fast to spread and harm people's health remained, despite the seasonality seasons and other circumstances. Most likely, humanity is doomed for a long time to coexistence with this emergent pathogen, since it is already circulating not only among the human population, but and among fauna, especially among wild animals in different regions of the planet. Thus, the range the virus has expanded, the material and conditions for its evolution are more than enough. The detection of SARS-CoV-2 in known infected fauna species is analyzed and possible spread and ongoing circulation of the virus in domestic and wild animals are discussed. One of the main focus of the article is the role of animal body temperature, its fluctuations and the presence of entry receptors in the susceptibility of different animal species to SARS-CoV-2 infection and virus spreading in possible new ecological niches. The possibility of long-term circulation of the pathogen among susceptible organisms is discussed.

Comparative susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV across mammals

Exploring wild reservoirs of pathogenic viruses is critical for their long-term control and for predicting future pandemic scenarios. Here, a comparative in vitro infection analysis was first performed on 83 cell cultures derived from 55 mammalian species using pseudotyped viruses bearing S proteins from SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV. Cell cultures from Thomas's horseshoe bats, king horseshoe bats, green monkeys, and ferrets were found to be highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV pseudotyped viruses. Moreover, five variants (del69-70, D80Y, S98F, T572I, and Q675H), that beside spike receptor-binding domain can significantly alter the host tropism of SARS-CoV-2. An examination of phylogenetic signals of transduction rates revealed that closely related taxa generally have similar susceptibility to MERS-CoV but not to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped viruses. Additionally, we discovered that the expression of 95 genes, e.g., PZDK1 and APOBEC3, were commonly associated with the transduction rates of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped viruses. This study provides basic documentation of the susceptibility, variants, and molecules that underlie the cross-species transmission of these coronaviruses.

Transparency in Non-Technical Project Summaries to Promote the Three Rs in Respiratory Disease Research

Non-Technical Project Summaries (NTS) are legal documents that were first introduced by the Directive 2010/63/EU to enhance transparency within scientific animal experimentation. Researchers intending to conduct biological research on animal models must fulfil the NTS requirements by outlining their proposed use of animals and how they plan to implement the Three Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement of animal use) in their experiments. This study outlines a novel systematic analysis approach that enables the assessment of NTS transparency based on the accuracy of reporting of certain Three Rs-specific information. This potentially customisable strategy could help toward the development of practical guidelines for use by Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies (AWERBs) in establishments conducting animal research, in the process of scrutinising NTS during their pre-submission review of proposed licence applications. This could help to identify gaps in reporting of Three Rs-specific information relating to the planned animal experiments, which represents a remarkable step toward achieving greater openness in scientific communication. This study supports the concept that NTS transparency can promote the implementation of non-animal alternatives in fields where this is currently lacking, such as respiratory disease research. Although NTS were originally conceived as informative documents for a lay audience, we can conclude that data in NTS can be successfully used as a basis for systematic analysis. By reviewing the NTS, the experimental limitations of the currently available replacement strategies can also be highlighted, potentially pinpointing where there is a need for future method development.

A guide to open science practices for animal research

Translational biomedical research relies on animal experiments and provides the underlying proof of practice for clinical trials, which places an increased duty of care on translational researchers to derive the maximum possible output from every experiment performed. The implementation of open science practices has the potential to initiate a change in research culture that could improve the transparency and quality of translational research in general, as well as increasing the audience and scientific reach of published research. However, open science has become a buzzword in the scientific community that can often miss mark when it comes to practical implementation. In this Essay, we provide a guide to open science practices that can be applied throughout the research process, from study design, through data collection and analysis, to publication and dissemination, to help scientists improve the transparency and quality of their work. As open science practices continue to evolve, we also provide an online toolbox of resources that we will update continually.

Open science has become a buzzword in the scientific community that too often misses the practical application for individual researchers. This Essay, provides a guide to choosing the most appropriate tools to make animal research more transparent.

How many animals are used for SARS-CoV-2 research?: An overview on animal experimentation in pre-clinical and basic research

Non-technical summaries of research projects allow tracking the numbers and purpose of animal experiments related to SARS-CoV2 research so as to provide greater transparency on animal use.