Zebrafish

Heart and shoal: Social cues and oxytocin receptors impact stress recovery in the zebrafish

In many species, social interactions decrease behavioral, hormonal, and neural responses to environmental stressors. While “social buffering” and its mechanisms have received considerable attention in mammals, we know less about the phenomenon in fish. The nonapeptide oxytocin regulates social behavior...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Wilson, L. C., Riordan, A., Nussbaum, A. et al. 2024. Heart and shoal: Social cues and oxytocin receptors impact stress recovery in the zebrafish. Physiology & Behavior 283, 114613.

Puzzle feeder as a cognitive enrichment strategy determines long-term welfare improvements in a teleost fish

Providing access to cognitive tasks, such as puzzle feeders, holds promise as enrichment strategy to enhance the welfare of captive animals. Despite the substantial number of teleost fish in captivity, the effects of cognitive enrichments in this group remain relatively...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Gatto, E., Varracchio, C., Bertolucci, C. et al. 2024. Puzzle feeder as a cognitive enrichment strategy determines long-term welfare improvements in a teleost fish. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 279, 106401.

Fin clipping does not increase opercular beat rate in tricaine-treated zebrafish

To carry out research with genetically modified animals, their genotype has to be assessed. A standard protocol to obtain required tissue samples from zebrafish is finclipping. However, some studies reported considerable stress induced by this protocol. We therefore assessed ventilation...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Burkhalter, M. D., Philipp, M. 2024. Fin clipping does not increase opercular beat rate in tricaine-treated zebrafish. Laboratory Animals 58(6), 616–620.

Exploring enrichment enjoyed by Zebrafish

Many studies highlighted that gravel is a preferred enrichment of zebrafish, therefore we were keen to explore this anecdotal evidence further, to ascertain if the spatial distribution of the zebrafish was significantly linked to the presence of physical enrichment within...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Waghorn, N. 2024, April. Exploring enrichment enjoyed by Zebrafish. Animal Technology and Welfare 23(1), 64–65.

Novel development of magnetic resonance imaging to quantify the structural anatomic growth of diverse organs in adult and mutant zebrafish

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a widely used vertebrate animal for modeling genetic diseases by targeted editing strategies followed by gross phenotypic and biomarker characterization. While larval transparency permits microscopic detection of anatomical defects, histological adult screening for organ-level defects remains...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Imaging & Electrophysiological RecordingAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Sharma, S., Magnitsky, S., Reesey, E. et al. 2024. Novel development of magnetic resonance imaging to quantify the structural anatomic growth of diverse organs in adult and mutant zebrafish. Zebrafish 21(1), 28–38.

Pebble to the metal: A boulder approach to enrichment for Danio rerio

Zebrafish are an established and widely used animal model, yet there is limited understanding of their welfare needs. Despite an increasing number of studies on zebrafish enrichment, in-tank environmental enrichment remains unpopular among researchers. This is due to perceived concerns...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Byrd, K. A., Theil, J. H., Geronimo, J. T. et al. 2024. Pebble to the metal: A boulder approach to enrichment for Danio rerio. PLOS ONE 19(5), e0298657.

Pain management in zebrafish: Report from a FELASA Working Group

Empirical evidence suggests fishes meet the criteria for experiencing pain beyond a reasonable doubt and zebrafish are being increasingly used in studies of pain and nociception. Zebrafish are adopted across a wide range of experimental fields and their use is...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Analgesia, Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Sneddon, L. U., Schroeder, P., Roque, A. et al. 2024. Pain management in zebrafish: Report from a FELASA Working Group. Laboratory Animals 58(3), 261–276.

Environmental conditions shape learning in larval zebrafish

Growing evidence reveals notable phenotypic plasticity in cognition among teleost fishes. One compelling example is the positive impact of enriched environments on learning performance. Most studies on this effect have focused on juvenile or later life stages, potentially overlooking the...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Gatto, E., Lucon-Xiccato, T., Bertolucci, C. 2024. Environmental conditions shape learning in larval zebrafish. Behavioural Processes 218, 105045.

The zebrafish health and welfare database, where we are now

In 2019 the first Zebrafish health and welfare terms database was created. Working in collaboration with Zebrafish specialists and veterinarians we defined severity scores, welfare indicators, definitions and images to form a resource for the Zebrafish community. Since then the...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Goodwin, N., Keeble, R., Price, M. 2023. The zebrafish health and welfare database, where we are now. Animal Technology and Welfare 22(3), 231–232.

Comparative study of tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) and eugenol as euthanasia agents in zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an experimental model

In experimental procedures inevitably leading to the sacrifice of animals, suitable measures should be taken to minimise their pain and suffering as much as possible, as well as to prevent any modification or masking in the experimental results obtained. An...

Year Published: 2023Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Ayala-Soldado, N., Mora-Medina, R., Lora-Benítez, A. J. et al. 2023. Comparative study of tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) and eugenol as euthanasia agents in zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an experimental model. Laboratory Animals 57(3), 236–246.