Lab Animals Flashcards
What is sentience?
The capacity to experience pain and distress and pleasure. Fuzzy boundary- consider oysters and crustaceans. Can they suffer?
What are the 3 R’s?
Replacement, Reduction, Refinement (anaesthetic, pain relief, asepsis, good peri-operative care, etc)
What are the top 3 animals used for experiments?
Mice, rats, fish, then birds, rabbits, etc.
What is welfare?
Its state as regards its attempts to cope with its environment. This state includes how much it is having to do to cope, the extent to which it is succeeding in or failing to cope and its associated feelings.
Victorian Statistics animals excluding fish and fish used in 2011?
1.8 million animals and 800,000 fish.
How many mice used in 2011?
600,000
How many rats?
30,000
What is the current legislation in VIC?
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986- defines scientific procedure, which animals, etc.
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulation 2008- defines licensing system, offences, Animal Ethics/ Approval based system, Dept Primary Industries administered, external oversight
What are the main points of legislation in a nutshell?
- No one can perform any scientific procedures with animals without a valid scientific procedure premise license
- Premises must be up to standards and on the license which is subject to audit
- No one can perform any scientific procedures without prior Animal Ethics Approval
- All persons performing any procedures on animals must first be approved as an investigator
- Subject to offences. Prosecution is possible.
- Annual reporting of procedures and animal use
What are the mandatory codes?
NHMRC Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes: 8th edition (2013)
Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Lab Mice, Rats, and GPs, and Rabbits (2004)
Pound animals code of practice
What happens with non-compliance?
Researchers and institutions can lose their right to the project, can lose their license to use animals, can be fined or jailed under the Cruelty Act Regulations
What are the Animal ethic committee requirements?
A- vet, B- scientist, C- animal welfare rep (RSPCA), D- lay person, Animal facility manager, animal welfare officer
What are defined animals?
Specified genetics, background, genotypes–> phenotype, health status, environmental conditions
What is transgenic?
Genes inserted or removed from genome
What is mutant?
Inbred mice that develop genetic mutations
What is outbred stock?
Mating unrelated mice to maintain genetic diversity
What are F1 hybrids?
Crossbreeding 2 inbred strains
What are SPF
Specific Pathogen Free
What are conventional?
Not known to be free of pathogens
What are gnotobiotic?
Known microbial flora
What are axenics?
Completely germ free
What are immunodeficient- athymic (nude)?
No T cells
What are immunodeficient- scid?
Severe combined immunodeficiency- lack mature B & T cells
What are NOD scid gamma (NSG)?
Lack mature B & T cells, & NK cells, lacks complement
Why focus on microbiological disease?
Might cause- clinical disease, recovery, elimination of the organism, animal may become a carrier, disease that may become chronic, subclinical disease, no pathogenic effect, death
HOw many air changes/ hr in animal rooms?
10-15
What are IVC cages?
Individually ventilated caging- negative cage air pressure (containment)- red flag if cage is not in right position on machine
What are germ free isolaters?
Positive pressure completely enclosed chambers, work through sleeved gloves sealed to ports, used to be rigid- today more commonly clear, flexible, plastic vinyl “bubbles”
What are the biggest 3 viruses?
Mouse parvovirus, Mouse hepatitis virus, sendai virus
What are some key pieces of info on mouse parvovirus?
Shed in faeces, remains infectious for up to 7 weeks, can survive irradiation, infection by direct contact or through fomites, not aerosols, poor transmission even to cage mates, source of infection untreated feed probable– no eradication efforts needed- cannot sustain itself in colonies using micro-isolator techniques
What is Mouse hepatitis virus?
Coronavirus, not common, highly infectious but easily inactivated, two biotypes- enterotropic and polytropic, faecal oral transmission, high prevalence- 100% in infected colony (lethal diarrhea in neonates, wasting disease in immunodeficient mice, enzootic infection- subclinical
What is sendai virus?
Parainfluenza virus 1, highly infectious, immune mediated disease, descending infection of resp. tract, viraemia rare, target cells: airway epithelium, type II alveolar epithelium, little direct damage by virus, severe necrosis and inflamm. caused by cell-mediated immune response– rhinitis, bronchiolitis, lung fibrosis post sendai virus
Common endoparasites, ectoparasites in laboratory mice?
Pinworms & mites
What are the biological and research consequences of MPV-1 in mice?
MPV is not associated with lesions or disease in any strain of mouse regardless of immune status. However, because it is lymphotropic, it has potential alter immune response
How is mouse parvo virus transmitted?
Feces and urine by oronasal exposure with a slow rate of cage-to-cage spread.
How is MPV diagnosed?
Seroconversion, antibody detection, not clinical signs.
What does biosecurity mean in a laboratory setting?
The sum of all measures intended to prevent, detect, contain, and eradicate adventitious infective agents
Why is biosecurity important in a laboratory setting?
- to reduce impact on animal health–> welfare
- reduce impact on research–> may confound results
- to reduce risk to personnel–> prevention of zoonotic transmission
What are the sources of infection?
Incoming animals, biological materials, people, contaminated feed/ water, contaminated bedding substrate, equipment, instruments, air
How do you exclude pathogens from incoming animals?
Health reports from exporting institutions, quarantine, vermin control, caesarean rederivation/ embryo transfer
How do you exclude pathogens from fomites?
Autoclave bedding, cages (cleaning cages), disinfection surfaces, testing biologicals (PCR, mouse antibody production)
How do you exclude pathogen from people?
PPE, restricted access, comprehensive training in cage changing technique
How do you exclude pathogens from food/water?
Irradiated (or autoclaved feed), autoclaved water (contaminated when mice drink from it), Chlorinated/ acidifed water prevents bacterial growth (chlorine eventually gasses off)
How do you exclude pathogens from air?
Complex air handling
What is Caesarean Rederivation?
Used to transfer pups from “dirty” mice onto specific pathogen free foster mums. Advantage- easy to learn and no expensive equipment. Disadvantage- foetuses stay longer inside mum compared to embryo transfers. Greater chance of pathogens crossing the placenta.
What is surgical embryo transfer?
Invasive, painful and stressful for the animal; involves anaesthesia and recovery; time consuming and costly; requires extensive training and skill
What is Non-Surgical Embryo Transfer (NSET)?
Transcervical transplant- eliminates the pain, distress and invasiveness of surgery; no anaesthesia or analgesics required; easier, faster and cheaper; can re-use same mice if the embryos do not take the first time
What is Rederivation Quarantine?
Animals from colony with known pathogens that may cause persistent infection
What is Regular Quarantine?
Presumed immunocompetent animals from purportedly SPF colony to be used for breeding/ longterm experiments
What is Acute Use Quarantine?
Plans to use experimentally and euthanize within 6 weeks of arrival. No tissues or fluids are obtained from these animals to be passaged in other rodents.
What are special quarantine?
Animals don’t fit into 3 groups. Determined on an individual basis.
Quarantine practices in laboratory mice?
F10 spray down of received shipping crates, isolator caging of new mice,
When is testing conducted of new mice?
1st cycle within 72 hours, 2nd cycle within 3 weeks, 3rd cycle within 8 weeks
What are some of the tests done?
1st and 2nd cycle: Blood for serology, rectal swab, skin scrape, faecal pellet collection, tape test for pinworm eggs
3rd cycle: Sentinels (parasitology on selected imported animals), euthanize sentinel animals, pelt exam for mites, gross pathology exam, exam of caecal and colonic contents for nematodes or protozoa, URT and LRT for aerobic bacterial pathogens
What are experimental endpoints?
Determined by the study aims and objectives. Set of criteria that signify that the question being studied has been answered and now the animal can be taken off the study. (Death is rarely used, tumour growth is an example)
What is the humane endpoint?
Earliest indicators in an animal experiment of severe pain, severe distress, suffering or impending death. I.e. inability to eat or drink; continuing weight loss; severe respiratory distress
What is humane euthanasia in rats and mice?
Inhalant CO2, injectable pentobarbitone sodium IP, (with reservations: cervical dislocation only if stunned or anaesthetised first, decapitation, stunning and exsanguination, captive bolt in rabbits and larger animals)
