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- Baumans, V
(författare)
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Methods for evaluation of laboratory animal well-being
- 2004
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Ingår i: Alternatives to laboratory animals : ATLA. - : SAGE Publications. - 0261-1929 .- 2632-3559. ; 3232 Suppl 1A, s. 161-162
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Well-being is a relative concept, referring to the state of an animal in relation to its ability to cope with its environment. This ability to cope is what we usually try to measure when evaluating the animal's well-being. Good welfare is, in general, considered to be related to a broad behavioural repertoire, which requires a considerable knowledge of the animal's species-specific behaviour and their basic biology. Ideally, well-being should be measured in a positive way, such as measuring pleasure by anticipatory behaviour. However, parameters have more often been designed for detecting failures to cope, leading to stress and/or discomfort. Parameters used in the assessment of discomfort are behavioural parameters, such as stereotypies, reduction in grooming, changes in activity; physiological parameters, such as body weight, abnormal posture, respiratory signs, heart rate, hormone levels; and post-mortem signs, as retrospective parameters, such as stomach ulcers, adrenal cortex size, fatty deposits. The usefulness of these parameters is discussed.
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- Carbone, L, et al.
(författare)
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Report of the workshop on euthanasia guidelines and practices
- 2004
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Ingår i: Alternatives to laboratory animals : ATLA. - : SAGE Publications. - 0261-1929 .- 2632-3559. ; 3232 Suppl 1B, s. 445-446
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Determining ethical standards for laboratory animal euthanasia requires an assessment of the relative amounts of pain and distress caused by different methods. Animal behaviour data are an important indicator of pain and distress, but their interpretation can be controversial; moreover, behaviour is more easily assessed with some euthanasia methods than with others. While every euthanasia method requires careful study, CO2 inhalation has come under close scrutiny both because it is so widely used for rodent euthanasia, and because it has, until recently, long been considered relatively non-aversive.
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- Kramer, K, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of conditioning on the increase of heart rate and body temperature provoked by handling in the mouse
- 2004
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Ingår i: Alternatives to laboratory animals : ATLA. - : SAGE Publications. - 0261-1929 .- 2632-3559. ; 3232 Suppl 1A, s. 177-181
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To assess the effect of procedures on animal welfare, various physiological parameters, such as body weight, hormone levels in plasma and/or urine, heart rate (HR), blood pressure and body temperature (BT), can be used. When measuring physiological parameters with techniques involving restraint of the animals, the results must be interpreted with caution, since restraint itself may have an effect on those parameters. Radio-telemetry, using an implantable transmitter, provides a way to obtain more accurate and reliable physiological measurements from freely moving animals in their own environment. In this study, we have used radio-telemetry to investigate the influence of conditioning on the increase of HR and BT as provoked by handling of mice. It was found that, after a conditioning period of 12 days, the increase of HR due to handling was significantly reduced.
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| 14. |
- Meijer, MK, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of restraint and injection methods on heart rate and body temperature in mice
- 2006
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Ingår i: Laboratory animals. - : SAGE Publications. - 0023-6772 .- 1758-1117. ; 40:4, s. 382-391
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Routine procedures in the laboratory, inducing acute stress, will have an impact on the animals and might thereby influence scientific results. In an attempt to gain more insight into quantifying this acute stress by means of the parameters heart rate (HR) and body temperature (BT), we subjected mice to different restraint and injection methods. We first compared the treatment response of HR and BT, measured by means of radiotelemetry, with the treatment response of plasma corticosterone (pCORT), a common and well-validated parameter for measuring acute stress responses. It was found that HR, and to a lesser extent also BT, parallels pCORT values after subjecting the animals to different methods of restraint. Secondly, the acute stress response caused by different injection methods was evaluated. Again, HR was found to be a more sensitive parameter than BT. We found that, in case of sham injections, the acute stress response after an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection was more pronounced than after intramuscular (i.m.) or subcutaneous (s.c.) injections, but this difference was found to be inconsistent when saline was used as injection fluid. In a third experiment we investigated if the level of experience of the animal technician influenced the stress response after s.c. injections, but no differences were found. Overall, the results have indicated that HR might be considered as a useful parameter for measuring acute stress responses to routine procedures, but the value of BT seems to be of limited value in this respect.
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| 15. |
- Meijer, MK, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of environmental enrichment and handling on the acute stress response in individually housed mice
- 2007
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Ingår i: Laboratory animals. - : SAGE Publications. - 0023-6772 .- 1758-1117. ; 41:2, s. 161-173
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study we investigated the effect of environmental enrichment and handling on the acute physiological stress response caused by short periods of restraint in individually housed female mice. Heart rate (HR) and body temperature (BT) were measured by radiotelemetry and compared with plasma corticosterone (pCORT) levels. Also, postmortem thymus weight and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity were assessed. The acute stress response was seen in both HR and BT. Enrichment and handling were found to increase rather than decrease this stress response, but pCORT values, measured 90 min after restraint, suggested a lower stress response in the enriched groups. No effect was found with thymus weight or TH as parameters.
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- Van der Meer, E, et al.
(författare)
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Short-term effects of a disturbed light-dark cycle and environmental enrichment on aggression and stress-related parameters in male mice
- 2004
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Ingår i: Laboratory animals. - : SAGE Publications. - 0023-6772 .- 1758-1117. ; 38:4, s. 376-383
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the laboratory setting, environmental factors have a major influence on the well-being of laboratory animals. The present study shows the importance of a semi-natural light–dark cycle. In this experiment one cohort of mice was kept with a continuous lighting for one week. After the first week the artificial light–dark cycle was 12:12 with lights on at 07:00 h. The second cohort of mice was kept with this 12:12 h light–dark cycle from the start. Half of each cohort received environmental enrichment. In order to analyse corticosterone levels, urine samples were collected. To measure agonistic behaviour, the behaviour of the mice was recorded on videotape immediately after cage cleaning. A significant difference in corticosterone levels between cohorts was found during disturbed lighting, but not after lighting conditions were reset to 12:12 h. In the first test week, mice subjected to disturbed lighting also showed a significantly shorter agonistic latency than control mice. This difference had disappeared when in the second test week all mice experienced 12:12 h lighting. No effects of enriched housing were found. This experiment has shown that disturbed lighting for socially-housed male mice caused physiological and behavioural changes indicative of stress, not only leading to much higher levels of corticosterone but also to shorter agonistic latency within the groups.
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| 23. |
- Van Loo, PLR, et al.
(författare)
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Assessment of the use of two commercially available environmental enrichments by laboratory mice by preference testing
- 2005
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Ingår i: Laboratory animals. - : SAGE Publications. - 0023-6772 .- 1758-1117. ; 39:1, s. 58-67
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the field of biomedical research, the demand for standardization of environmental enrichment for laboratory animals is growing. For laboratory mice, a wide variety of environmental enrichment items are commercially available. Most of these comply with the demands for standardization, hygiene and ergonomics. Whether these items also comply with their actual purpose, to enhance the well-being of the mice, is often not assessed scientifically. In this study, we tested the preference of mice for two commercially available nest boxes differing in shape and material: the Shepherd Shack/DesRes (SS/DR) and the Tecniplast Mouse House (TMH), in a simple preference test. To indicate strength of preference, both nest boxes were also tested against a highly preferred nesting material. Preference for the most preferred nest box was investigated further. Our results indicated a strong preference by mice for the SS/DR, but not for the TMH. Furthermore, nesting material was almost always combined with the SS/DR, but not with the TMH. More elaborate testing of the SS/DR in an automated preference test system confirmed that mice spent significantly more time in a cage in which an SS/DR is provided. Differences between both nest boxes are discussed with regard to their attractiveness to mice. It is also argued that enrichment should primarily be developed in concordance with the animals' needs prior to the marketing of enrichment tools.
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| 24. |
- Van Loo, PLP, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of 'living apart together' on postoperative recovery of mice compared with social and individual housing
- 2007
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Ingår i: Laboratory animals. - : SAGE Publications. - 0023-6772 .- 1758-1117. ; 41:4, s. 441-455
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Social housing is the optimal way of housing female laboratory mice. However, individual housing may be required in experimental designs, for example after surgery. We therefore investigated whether housing two female mice in a cage, separated by a grid partition ('living apart together', LAT), counters the adverse effects of individual housing on postoperative recovery. Ten individually housed (IND) mice, nine socially housed (SOC) mice and nine mice, housed LAT, were surgically implanted with a telemetry transmitter. From one week prior to surgery until three weeks thereafter, several physiological and behavioural parameters were measured in the mice subjected to surgery. The telemetry transmitter measured heart rate (HR), body temperature and activity continuously. Body weight, food and water intake were scored regularly, as were wound healing, ease of handling, nest building and behaviour. Results indicated that SOC mice appear to be less affected by abdominal surgery than IND mice, as indicated by HR and behaviour. LAT, however, did not appear to be beneficiary to the mice. Increased HR levels and differences in behaviour as compared with both SOC and IND animals indicate that LAT may even be the most stressful of the three housing conditions. We therefore conclude that mice benefit most from social housing after surgery. If, however, social housing is not possible, individual housing appears to be a better option than separating mice by a grid partition.
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| 25. |
- Van Loo, PLP, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term effects of husbandry procedures on stress-related parameters in male mice of two strains
- 2004
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Ingår i: Laboratory animals. - : SAGE Publications. - 0023-6772 .- 1758-1117. ; 38:2, s. 169-177
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In socially unstable groups of male laboratory mice, individuals may experience a chronic stress situation. Previous experiments have shown that the transfer of specific olfactory cues during cage cleaning, and the provision of nesting material decrease aggression and stress in group-housed male mice. In this study, the combined effect of these husbandry procedures were tested for their long-term effect on stress in groups of moderately aggressive (BALB/c) and severely aggressive (CD-1) male mice. The physiological and behavioural stress-related parameters used were body weight, food and water intake, spleen and thymus weight, adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase activity, urine corticosterone levels and behaviour in a cage emergence test. Long-term provision of nesting material and its transfer during cage cleaning was found to influence several stress-related physiological parameters. Mice housed in cages enriched with nesting material had lower urine corticosterone levels and heavier thymuses, and they consumed less food and water than standard-housed mice. Furthermore, marked differences were found between strains. CD-1 mice were less anxious in the cage emergence test, weighed more, ate and drank more, and had heavier thymuses but lighter spleens and lower corticosterone levels than BALB/c mice. We conclude that the long-term provision of nesting material, including the transfer of nesting material during cage cleaning, reduces stress and thereby enhances the welfare of laboratory mice.
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| 26. |
- Van Loo, PLP, et al.
(författare)
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Male management: Coping with aggression problems in male laboratory mice
- 2003
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Ingår i: Laboratory animals. - : SAGE Publications. - 0023-6772 .- 1758-1117. ; 37:4, s. 300-313
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In a laboratory environment, aggressive interactions between male mice may exceed normal levels leading to negative effects both on the well-being of the animals and on the validity of experimental results. In this paper we review results from the literature and our own research with regard to coping with excessive aggressive behaviour in male laboratory mice. Based on this review practical recommendations concerning the housing and care of male laboratory mice are formulated. In short, it is recommended to avoid individual housing, to transfer odour cues from the nesting area during cage cleaning and to apply nesting material as environmental enrichment. Furthermore, group size should be optimized to three animals per cage. Further research, in particular into the effects of frequency, duration, type and severity of disturbances during an experiment on the degree of aggression, is recommended.
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| 27. |
- Van Loo, PLP, et al.
(författare)
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Preference for social contact versus environmental enrichment in male laboratory mice
- 2004
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Ingår i: Laboratory animals. - : SAGE Publications. - 0023-6772 .- 1758-1117. ; 38:2, s. 178-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to their aggressive nature, male mice are less frequently used than female mice in biomedical research. When aggressive males are being used, individual housing is common practice. The question arises whether this is an acceptable housing for a social species. The present study was designed to gain more insight into the nature of inter-male social contact and into the potential of a form of environmental enrichment (nesting material) to compensate for the lack of social contact. In a series of tests, we analysed whether male mice of different ages preferred to spend time (1) near a familiar cage mate versus an empty cage, or (2) near to a familiar cage mate versus direct contact with nesting material (tissues). Dwelling time in each of the test cages and sleeping sites was recorded, as was the behaviour of the test mice. Results indicated that when other conditions were similar, male mice preferred to sleep in close proximity to their familiar cage mate. Furthermore, the need to engage in active social behaviour increased with age. Tissues were used to a large extent for sleeping and sleep-related behaviour. It is concluded that single housing in order to avoid aggression between male mice is a solution with evident negative consequences for the animals. When individual housing is inevitable due to excessive aggressive behaviour, the presence of nesting material could partly compensate for the deprivation of social contact.
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| 28. |
- Van Loo, RLR, et al.
(författare)
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The importance of learning young: the use of nesting material in laboratory rats
- 2004
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Ingår i: Laboratory animals. - : SAGE Publications. - 0023-6772 .- 1758-1117. ; 38:1, s. 17-24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Unlike mice, adult laboratory rats do not spontaneously build nests when nesting material is offered. As a result, nesting material is often regarded as unsuitable environmental enrichment for laboratory rats. Wild rats and pet rats, however, have been observed to build complex nests from nesting material at hand. It was hypothesized that nest building in rats is an acquired behaviour, rather than genetically predisposed. To test this hypothesis, the progeny of three Wistar rats provided with nesting material (Kleenex tissues) during pregnancy and three standard-housed rats were divided in 34 same-sex couples with access to nesting material: (1) from the age of 8 weeks ( n=7); (2) from weaning ( n=8); (3) from birth ( n=17). The latter were subdivided into two groups after weaning, one provided with Kleenex tissues ( n=9), the other with Enviro-dri ( n=8). At the age of 12 weeks, all couples were provided with both types of nesting material for one week. Amount, shape, and soiling of the nesting material were scored on weekdays, and behaviour of the rats was scored twice weekly. Results indicated that the older the rats were when first provided with nesting material, the greater the amount of nesting material eaten and soiled, and the nests built were less elaborate. Overall, Enviro-dri was eaten less than Kleenex tissues. It is concluded that rats need to learn the proper use of nesting material. When provided from birth, nesting material is a suitable type of environmental enrichment for laboratory rats.
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