Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement

No-touch measurements of vital signs in small conscious animals

Measuring the heartbeat and respiration of small conscious animals is important for assessing their health and behavior, but present techniques such as electrocardiogram (ECG), ultrasound, and auscultation rely on close skin contact with the animal. These methods can also require...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: X. Hui, Kan, E. C. 2019. No-touch measurements of vital signs in small conscious animals. Science Advances 5, eaau0169.

Aversiveness of husbandry procedures for pre-weaned foals: A comparison using behavioural and physiological indices

Husbandry procedures are necessary for different purposes in horse breeding. The aim of the present study was to assess the aversiveness and effects on the horse-human relationship of a range of common husbandry procedures, in pre-weaned non-habituated Konik polski foals....

Year Published: 2017Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Identification MethodAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Górecka-Bruzda, A., Jaworski, Z., Suwała, M. et al. 2017. Aversiveness of husbandry procedures for pre-weaned foals: A comparison using behavioural and physiological indices. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 191, 31-38.

Automated microsampling technologies and enhancements in the 3Rs

Data collected in vivo is essential for advising decisions on drug screening and development and basic research, and animal models are used extensively for acquiring experimental measurements. Traditionally, collection of specimens has been invasive, stressful to animal subjects, labor intensive,...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Hopper, L. D. 2016. Automated microsampling technologies and enhancements in the 3Rs. ILAR Journal 57(2), 166-177.

Report of the 2016 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent and Rabbit Welfare Group meeting

The RSPCA/UFAW Rodent (and now Rabbit) Welfare Group held a one-day meeting on 1 November 2016 at the University of Edinburgh and was attended by 70 delegates. Presentation topics included refinements in blood sampling rodents, reducing suffering in projects involving...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Disease/Experimental Model, Husbandry & Management, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hawkins, P., McNeilly, A., Watson, J. et al. 2017. Report of the 2016 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent and Rabbit Welfare Group meeting. Animal Technology and Welfare 16(2), 77-86.

Spider and chips: The use of internal Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips as a minimally invasive method to measure internal body temperatures in invertebrates

Internal RFID transponders have been used in vertebrates for many years, however studies into their use in invertebrates are less well represented in the literature. The use of RFID transponders for internal temperature measurement represents a less invasive alternative to...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, External Bodily EquipmentAnimal Type: Insect & Spider, Invertebrate

Citation: Baker, S., Knight, E., Pellett, S. et al. 2018. Spider and chips: The use of internal Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips as a minimally invasive method to measure internal body temperatures in invertebrates. Animal Technology and Welfare 17(1), 1-7.

Measuring physiological stress in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus): Validation of a salivary cortisol collection and assay technique

Cortisol levels are often used as a physiological measure of the stress response in captive primates, with noninvasive measures of this being an important step in welfare assessment. We report a method of collecting saliva samples voluntarily from unrestrained captive...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Ash, H., Smith, T. E., Knight, S. et al. 2018. Measuring physiological stress in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus): Validation of a salivary cortisol collection and assay technique. Physiology & Behavior 185, 14-22.

Body temperature measurement in mice during acute illness: Implantable temperature transponder versus surface infrared thermometry

Body temperature is a valuable parameter in determining the wellbeing of laboratory animals. However, using body temperature to refine humane endpoints during acute illness generally lacks comprehensiveness and exposes to inter-observer bias. Here we compared two methods to assess body...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Mei, J., Riedel, N., Grittner, U. et al. 2018. Body temperature measurement in mice during acute illness: Implantable temperature transponder versus surface infrared thermometry. Scientific Reports 8, 3526.

Quantification of hair cortisol concentration in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) and tufted capuchins (Cebus apella)

Quantifying cortisol concentration in hair is a non‐invasive biomarker of long‐term hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) activation, and thus can provide important information on laboratory animal health. Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) and capuchins (Cebus apella) are New World primates increasingly used in biomedical and...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Capuchin, Marmoset, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Phillips, K.A., Tukan, A. N., Rigodanzo, A. D. et al. 2018. Quantification of hair cortisol concentration in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) and tufted capuchins (Cebus apella). American Journal of Primatology 80(7), e22879.

Using a cageside device for testing glycosylated hemoglobin in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis)

Recording an accurate body temperature is important to assess an animal's health status. We compared temperature data from sedated cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) to evaluate differences between rectal, infrared (inguinal and chest), and implanted telemetry techniques with the objective of...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Johnston, J. M., Wilson, J. M., Smith, A. L. et al. 2017. Using a cageside device for testing glycosylated hemoglobin in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis). JAALAS 56(1), 90-94.

Comparison of saliva collection methods for the determination of salivary cortisol levels in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis), and African green monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops)

The ability to quickly and accurately determine cortisol as a biomarker for stress is a valuable tool in assessing the wellbeing of NHP. In this study, 2 methods of collecting saliva (a commercial collection device and passive drool) and the...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Rapp-Santos, K. J., Altamura, L. A., Norris, S. L. et al. 2017. Comparison of saliva collection methods for the determination of salivary cortisol levels in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis), and African green monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops). JAALAS 56(2), 181-189.