Laboratory Animal Science: A Resource to Improve the Quality of Science

The contribution of animal experimentation to biomedical research is of undoubted value, nevertheless the real usefulness of animal models is still being hotly debated. Laboratory Animal Science is a multidisciplinary approach to humane animal experimentation that allows the choice of the correct animal model and the collection of unbiased data. Refinement, Reduction and Replacement, the "3Rs rule", are now widely accepted and have a major influence on animal experimentation procedures. Refinement, namely any decrease in the incidence or severity of inhumane procedures applied to animals, has been today extended to the entire lives of the experimental animals. Reduction of the number of animals used to obtain statistically significant data may be achieved by improving experimental design and statistical analysis of data. Replacement refers to the development of validated alternative methods. A Laboratory Animal Science training program in biomedical degrees can promote the 3Rs and improve the welfare of laboratory animals as well as the quality of science with ethical, scientific and economic advantages complying with the European requirement that "persons who carry out, take part in, or supervise procedures on animals, or take care of animals used in procedures, shall have had appropriate education and training".

Evaluating the effectiveness of training strategies: performance goals and testing

The Public Health Service policy, Animal Welfare Act regulations, and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals all require that institutions provide training for personnel engaged in animal research. Most research facilities have developed training programs to meet these requirements but may not have developed ways of assessing the effectiveness of these programs. Omission of this critical activity often leads to training that is ineffective, inefficient, or unnecessary. Evaluating the effectiveness of biomedical research and animal care training should involve a combination of assessments of performance, competence and knowledge, and appropriate tests for each type of knowledge, used at appropriate time intervals. In this article, the hierarchical relationship between performance, competence, and knowledge is described. The discussion of cognitive and psychomotor knowledge includes the important distinction between declarative and procedural knowledge. Measurement of performance is described and can include a variety of indirect and direct measurement techniques. Each measurement option has its own profile of strengths and weaknesses in terms of measurement validity, reliability, and costs of development and delivery. It is important to understand the tradeoffs associated with each measurement option, and to make appropriate choices of measurement strategy based on these tradeoffs arrayed against considerations of frequency, criticality, difficulty of learning, logistics, and budget. The article concludes with an example of how these measurement strategies can be combined into a cost-effective assessment plan for a biomedical research facility.

Investigation of appropriate sanitization frequency for rodent caging accessories: evidence supporting less-frequent cleaning

The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals states that sanitization of caging accessories (for example, filter tops and wire-bar lids) should be done every 2 wk. In this study we tested the hypothesis that organic contamination measured by the presence of ATP associated with organic material (measured with luciferase test swabs) and the number of bacterial colony-forming units (as determined by use of replicate organism detection and counting plates) on caging accessories did not differ significantly at 2 wk versus several months of use. The study evaluated 4 groups: mouse and rat ventilated and static wire-bar cages with or without filter tops (n = 10 per group). The cages were evaluated at several time points from 2 wk to 6 mo. For every cage type, ATP levels did not differ significantly between 14 and 90 d and, in most cases, between 14 and 180 d. In addition the number of bacterial colonies did not differ significantly between 14 and 120 d (and, in some cases, between 14 and 180 d). This study provides data relevant to establishing a validated frequency for sanitization of rodent caging accessories while controlling, and potentially decreasing, costs associated with sanitization.

Use of human nasal cannulas during bronchoscopy procedures as a simple method for maintaining adequate oxygen saturation in pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina)

Rising concerns over respiratory illnesses caused by agents such as avian influenza viruses and SARS coronavirus have prompted intensive research efforts and the resurgence of nonhuman primates as models for these human diseases. In the context of studying influenza infection and vaccine development, serial bronchoscopic procedures, including bronchial brush biopsies and bronchoalveolar lavage, were performed in pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina). The possible need for oxygen supplementation during these procedures was anticipated because of the size of the animals relative to the 5-mm bronchoscope. We therefore monitored oxyhemoglobin saturation, a measure of arterial blood oxygen content, before and after insertion of the bronchoscope, during bronchoalveolar lavage, and after initiation of oxygen supplementation. Although more data are required to draw definitive conclusions, our findings suggested the need for oxygen supplementation during such procedures in nonhuman primates, despite the fact that human patients undergoing bronchoscopy and lavage do not routinely get oxygen unless they are already compromised. Our data also suggested that the need for supplementation could not be predicted from simple parameters such as size of the animal, presence of respiratory clinical signs, or experimental treatment. Finally, we show a simple and cost-effective method of using human nasal cannulas for delivering oxygen to pigtailed macaques during bronchoscopic procedures, and we believe that, after further testing, this method could be used safely and effectively in other nonhuman primate species.

A simple, inexpensive, and effective light- carrying laryngoscopic blade for orotracheal intubation of rats

The research paradigm of using large laboratory animals, in which oroendotracheal intubations are relatively easy, is shifting toward the use of small animals, such as rodents, in which oropharyngeal access is limited, the arytenoid cartilage cycles are faster, and the glottis is much smaller. The considerable growth recently seen in preclinical imaging studies is accompanied by an increased number of rats and mice requiring in vivo intubation for airway management. Tracheal access is important for ventilation, administration of inhaled anesthetics, instillation of drugs or imaging agents, and maintenance of airway patency to reduce mortality during and after operations. I fashioned a light-carrying laryngoscopic blade (laryngoscope) from readily available acrylic-polymethyl methacrylate tubing and used it to perform rapid, effective tracheal intubation in rats. The laryngoscope design and intubation techniques are presented.

[Urgent problems of experimental modelling of thermal skin burns]

The review presents a critical analysis of principal benefits and shortcomings of standard experimental models of surface and deep thermal burns of the skin. Comparison of the results of experimental studies must rest on reproduction of identical traumas in series of experiments. It is important to choose animals species, burn model, exposition time and thermal agent depending on the study aim. An algorithm of simple and available methods of reproduction of superficial and deep thermal burns of the skin on a rodent model is described.

United we stand, divided we fall!

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An inexpensive system to monitor air flow in isolation units

Isolation units are used extensively for conducting infectious disease research in poultry. By necessity, these units are airtight and receive air only through electrically powered ventilation systems. Therefore, interruptions in electrical service to these units present a serious hazard to the animals they contain. A system was designed to monitor the air flow through isolation units and to alert animal caretakers in the event of any interruption in air flow. The "intelligence" of the system relies on an electronic monitor connected to a telephone line that places alerting telephone calls when it detects loss of air flow to the units. The system is constructed from easily acquired and relatively inexpensive parts and components.