A Survey of Laboratory Animal Veterinarians Regarding Mouse Welfare in Biomedical Research.

The quality of research animal welfare is undeniably linked to the quality of scientific results generated from the animals. Although mice are the most commonly used mammalian species in biomedical research, little information is available about what factors should be considered to promote future progress. To address this issue, the Animal Welfare Committee of the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners (ASLAP) surveyed laboratory animal veterinarians to obtain their opinions about the welfare of mice and to consider the roles of 5 factors that significantly affect animal welfare in biomedical research: husbandry, clinical care, experimental use, regulatory oversight, and training. The survey revealed that 95% of veterinarians scored mouse welfare as acceptable to excellent, although areas for improvement remain. These areas include: 1) training of researchers performing experimental procedures; 2) the frequency of monitoring mice likely to experience pain and distress due to experimental manipulation; 3) inclusion of the institutional veterinary staff in the monitoring of mice likely to experience pain and distress; 4) continued improvement in the environmental enrichment provided to mice; 5) the ability of the IACUC to ensure that instances of noncompliance are fully addressed in order to prevent reoccurrence both within laboratories and among other research groups at the institution; and 6) reliance on non-veterinarians to perform examinations, diagnose disease, and prescribe the treatment of sick or injured mice.

Pharmacokinetics and Adverse Effects of 3 Sustained-release Buprenorphine Dosages in Healthy Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus).

In guinea pigs, studies addressing the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetic profiles of different sustained-release buprenorphine (SRB) formulations are still in their infancy. Here we assessed the pharmacokinetic profiles of 3 SRB dosages (SR-LAB, ZooPharm; SRBLow, 0.15 mg/kg; SRBMedium, 0.3 mg/kg; and SRBHigh, 0.6 mg/kg) for 72 h after a single subcutaneous administration to 8 (4 male and 4 female) healthy guinea pigs. Body weight, fecal output, and cortisol levels were also monitored and the results compared with those of the sham group. Within the first h after administration, the maximal plasma concentration (Cmax) of the drug was 64.3 ± 9.2 ng/mL (males) and 71.3 ± 3.7 ng/mL (females) in the SRBHigh group; 11.5 ± 3.2 ng/mL (males) and 6.9 ± 0.9 ng/mL (females) in the SRBMedium group; and 2.3 ± 0.8 ng/mL (males) and 2.0 ± 0.5 ng/mL (females) in the SRBLow group. After 72 h, therapeutic levels of the drug (>1 ng/mL) were observed only in guinea pigs treated with SRBHigh (both sexes) and males treated with SRBMediu cm. Fecal output (quantity and distribution) and body weight were significantly lower in the SRB groups as compared with the sham group, and with the SRBHigh group showing larger reductions. Baseline levels of serum cortisol in healthy females (1440 ± 106 ng/mL) were significantly greater than in males (550 ± 66 ng/mL). But, independent of the sex, SRB administration significantly reduced those levels. In conclusion, the data indicate that all 3 SRB dosages can be safely used in guinea pigs. However, therapeutic levels of the drug were observed for at least 48 h only guinea pigs treated with SRBHigh and SRBMedium. Further investigation is needed to determine if these dosages can alleviate pain in guinea pigs.

Factors associated with birth rate and live birth rate in multi-male breeding groups of rhesus monkeys.

Reproductive records of 284 female rhesus monkeys housed in six multimale corrals at the California Primate Research Center were examined for the birth seasons 1977-1982 to determine possible associations between the probability of birth or live birth and female age, parity, origin, parturition in the previous season, infant birth date, and infant birth date in previous season. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify and quantitate the effects of factors on the probability of birth or live birth, while controlling for the possibly confounding effects of other factors in the model. Females who had infants early in the previous season were 2.5 times as likely to give birth as those who had infants late in the previous season. Females with two or three previous births were 2.1 times as likely to give birth, and those with four or five previous births were 6.7 times as likely to give birth as were females with no or one previous birth. Controlling for other factors (age, parity, and timing of birth in the previous season), corralborn females were 3.3 times as likely to give birth as either wild-caught or domestic-born monkeys not native to the corrals. Domestic-born females who were not corral natives were 0.3 times as likely to have live births as wild-caught females. Births late in the season were 1.8 times as likely to result in live infants as births early in the season.