Disease/Experimental Model

Monitoring the health status of mice with bleomycin-induced lung injury by using body condition scoring

Well-defined, humane endpoints aid in monitoring animal health status during disease development. Body condition scoring (BCS) is a method for assessing health status in mouse studies where wasting and death are potential endpoints. Whether BCS is useful in monitoring animals...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Humane EndpointAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Cowley, P. M., Roberts, C. R., Baker, A. J. 2019. Monitoring the health status of mice with bleomycin-induced lung injury by using body condition scoring. Comparative Medicine 69(2), 95–102.

Comparison of isoflurane, ketamine-dexmedetomidine, and ketamine-xylazine for general anesthesia during oral procedures in rice rats (Oryzomys palustris)

Rice rats (Oryzomys palustris) are an unconventional laboratory species that has been used to study photoperiodicity, periodontitis, and osteonecrosis of the jaw. Interventional procedures that require anesthesia, including oral procedures, are sometimes necessary in preclinical settings. The use of anesthetics...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Jiron, J. M., Mendieta Calle, J. L., Castillo, E. J. et al. 2019. Comparison of isoflurane, ketamine-dexmedetomidine, and ketamine-xylazine for general anesthesia during oral procedures in rice rats (Oryzomys palustris). JAALAS 58(1), 40-49.

Regional anesthesia for dentistry and orofacial surgery in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Regional anesthesia is a commonly used adjunct to orofacial dental and surgical procedures in companion animals and humans. However, appropriate techniques for anesthetizing branches of the mandibular and maxillary nerves have not been described for rhesus monkeys. Skulls of 3...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Engel, R. M., Thomas III, M. L., Banks, R. E. 2019. Regional anesthesia for dentistry and orofacial surgery in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). JAALAS 58(2), 223-230.

Sustained-release buprenorphine improves postsurgical clinical condition but does not alter survival or cytokine levels in a murine model of polymicrobial sepsis

Cecal ligation and perforation (CLP) is a common technique for studying sepsis in mice. Because of the invasiveness of the procedure and its effects on clinical condition, many animal care and use committees require the use of analgesics with CLP....

Year Published: 2016Topics: Analgesia, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Herndon, N. L., Bandyopadhyay, S., Hod, E. A. et al. 2016. Sustained-release buprenorphine improves postsurgical clinical condition but does not alter survival or cytokine levels in a murine model of polymicrobial sepsis. Comparative Medicine 66(6), 455–462.

Humane endpoints for guinea pigs used for Mycobacterium tuberculosis vaccine research

Guinea pigs are a commonly used model for tuberculosis vaccine research. Loss of body weight is the most frequently described humane endpoint for animals used in these studies. During a chronic study, we noted labored breathing in some tuberculosis-infected guinea...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Humane EndpointAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Rodent

Citation: Collymore, C., Kent, L., Ahn, S. K. et al. 2018. Humane endpoints for guinea pigs used for Mycobacterium tuberculosis vaccine research. Comparative Medicine 68(1), 41–47.

Cohousing male mice with and without segmental bone defects

Spaceflight results in bone loss like that associated with osteoporosis or decreased weight-bearing (for example, high-energy trauma such as explosive injuries and automobile accidents). Thus, the unique spaceflight laboratory on the International Space Station presents the opportunity to test bone...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Rytlewski, J. D., Childress, P. J., Scofield, D. C. et al. 2018. Cohousing male mice with and without segmental bone defects. Comparative Medicine 68(2), 131–138.

Refinement and successful implementation of a scoring system for myxomatosis in a susceptible rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) model

Myxoma virus is a member of Leporipoxviridae whose tropism is tightly restricted to lagomorphs. In susceptible Oryctolagus rabbits, the virus causes a highly lethal disease known as myxomatosis, which begins as a localized infection but rapidly disseminates throughout the animal,...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Humane EndpointAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Wolfe, A. M., Rahman, M., McFadden, D. G. et al. 2018. Refinement and successful implementation of a scoring system for myxomatosis in a susceptible rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) model. Comparative Medicine 68(4), 280–285.

Give us a break!

Literature is replete with studies on stressors to laboratory rodents; knowing the impact research and husbandry interventions, such as routine cage changing, have on rodents' stress levels, physiology and behaviour, we hypothesised that animals recovering in a familiar environment would...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Filby, E. 2019. Give us a break! Animal Technology and Welfare 18(1), 45-48.

Using novel equipment to aid reduction and replacement of the ferret model in influenza transmission

The ferret model has long been the “gold standard” animal model for studying human influenza infection and is used all around the world for transmission studies. Professor Wendy Barclay and her team have used ferrets at Imperial College for 10...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Ferret

Citation: Boreham, T. 2019. Using novel equipment to aid reduction and replacement of the ferret model in influenza transmission. Animal Technology and Welfare 18(1), 59-61.

Anaesthetic and perioperative management of 14 male New Zealand white rabbits for calvarial bone surgery

Calvarial bone surgery on rabbits is frequently performed. This report aims to document a simple and practical anaesthetic and perioperative management for this procedure. Fourteen male New Zealand white rabbits were included in the study. Subcutaneous (SC) dexmedetomidine, ketamine and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Analgesia, Anesthesia & Sedation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Raillard, M., Detotto, C., Grepper, S. et al. 2019. Anaesthetic and perioperative management of 14 male New Zealand white rabbits for calvarial bone surgery. Animals 9(11), 896.