Mouse

Towards more translatable research: Exploring alternatives to gavage as the oral administration route of vaccines in rodents for improved animal welfare and human relevance

Oral vaccines are gaining attention for their ease of administration and ability to activate mucosal immune responses. However, preclinical studies using this route often require the use of gavage, which has limitations. In this comment, we briefly discuss the challenges...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Miguelena Chamorro, B., Swaminathan, G., Mundt, E. et al. 2023. Towards more translatable research: Exploring alternatives to gavage as the oral administration route of vaccines in rodents for improved animal welfare and human relevance. Lab Animal 52(9), 195–197.

Group size planning for breedings of gene-modified mice and other organisms following Mendelian inheritance

Colony management of gene-modified animals is time-consuming, costly and affected by random events related to Mendelian genetics, fertility and litter size. Careful planning is mandatory to ensure successful outcomes using the least number of animals, hence adhering to the 3R...

Year Published: 2023Topics: ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Milchevskaya, V., Bugnon, P., ten Buren, E. B. J. et al. 2023. Group size planning for breedings of gene-modified mice and other organisms following Mendelian inheritance. Lab Animal 52(8), 183–188.

Use of loss of righting reflex to assess susceptibility to carbon dioxide gas in three mouse strains

Exposure to CO2 gas is a common rodent euthanasia method. CO2 activates nociceptors in rats and is painful to humans at concentrations equal to or greater than 32.5% The concentration of CO2 at which rodents become unconsciousness is inadequately defined....

Year Published: 2023Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Munro, B. A., Merenick, D. R., Gee, J. M. et al. 2023. Use of loss of righting reflex to assess susceptibility to carbon dioxide gas in three mouse strains. JAALAS 62(6), 553–558.

Implementation of an alternative training method for cardiac blood collection in mice

Training personnel to work with animals presents a variety of challenges, both logistically and with regard to animal welfare. These issues make training an ideal opportunity to evaluate practices and to implement the 3R principles (refinement, replacement, and reduction). Cardiac...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Animal Training, Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: George, A. J., O'Malley, C. I., Bulock, R. E. et al. 2023. Implementation of an alternative training method for cardiac blood collection in mice. JAALAS 62(6), 487–493.

Anxiety-like behaviors in artificially reared mice is reduced by contact with foster mothers

Experimental systems using animal models are important for nutritional and pharmacological research on newborns and infants. Accordingly, artificial nursing systems for rodents based exclusively on formula are critical to studying nutrient requirements, chemical safety, and immune system development in newborns...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Harauma, A., Murai, M., Nakamura, I. et al. 2023. Anxiety-like behaviors in artificially reared mice is reduced by contact with foster mothers. Physiology & Behavior 260, 114052.

Effects of refined handling on reproductive indices of BALB/cJ and CD-1 IGS mice

Current mouse handling methods during cage change procedures can cause stress and potentially compromise animal welfare. Our previous study of breeding C57BL/6J mice found modest increases in pup production and a significant reduction in preweaning litter losses when mice were...

Year Published: 2024Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Hull, M. A., Nunamaker, E. A., Reynolds, P. S. 2024. Effects of refined handling on reproductive indices of BALB/cJ and CD-1 IGS mice. JAALAS 63(1), 3–9.

Do housing-induced changes in brain activity cause stereotypic behaviours in laboratory mice?

Abnormal repetitive stereotypic behaviours (SBs) (e.g. pacing, body-rocking) are common in animals with poor welfare (e.g. socially isolated/in barren housing). But how (or even whether) poor housing alters animals' brains to induce SBs remains uncertain. To date, there is little...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Kitchenham, L., MacLellan, A., Paletta, P. et al. 2024. Do housing-induced changes in brain activity cause stereotypic behaviours in laboratory mice? Behavioural Brain Research 462, 114862.

Comparing three formulations of buprenorphine in an incisional pain model in mice

This study compared the therapeutic effects in mice of 3 different formulations of buprenorphine. These formulations were standard buprenorphine hydrochloride (Bup-HCL) and 2 different extended-release buprenorphine formulations (Bup-ER and Ethiqa-XR [Bup-XR]). Drugs were evaluated based on their ability to attenuate...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Analgesia, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Lopez-Echeverria, G., Alamaw, E., Gorman, G. et al. 2023. Comparing three formulations of buprenorphine in an incisional pain model in mice. JAALAS 62(6), 531–537.

A novel scoring system for humane endpoints in mice with cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis

Animal-based research is essential to the study of sepsis pathophysiology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. However, animal models of sepsis are often associated with high mortality because of the difficulty in predicting imminent death based on premortem assessment of the animals. The...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Humane EndpointAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Ferguson, L. T., Rashied, A. A., Liang, Z. et al. 2023. A novel scoring system for humane endpoints in mice with cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis. Comparative Medicine 73(6), 446–460.

Focus on novel approaches: Home-cage monitoring of laboratory mice

Assessment of behavioural phenotype is crucial for the evaluation of various disease models, particularly inlaboratory rodents. Traditionally, this includes performing a variety of conventional tests where animals areremoved from their home-cages and placed in behavioural test apparatuses. This approach can...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Bartelik, A., Čater, M., Cevik, Ö. S. et al. 2024. Focus on novel approaches: Home-cage monitoring of laboratory mice. Scandinavian Journal of Laboratory Animal Science 50, 1–5.