In order to better understand the critical issues pertaining to the concept of performance standards for laboratory animal use, the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research Roundtable on Science and Welfare in Laboratory Animal Use held a public workshop on April 20-21, 2015. The purpose of the workshop was to promote the appropriate and responsible care of animals in research, to provide a balanced and civil forum for discussion and collaboration, and to help build transparency and trust among stakeholders. Participants addressed the challenges of defining, developing, implementing, assessing, and validating performance standards to ensure "optimal practices, management, and operations." This report summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop. Table of Contents Front Matter 1 Introduction 2 Overview of Performance Standards for the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals 3 Regulatory and Advisory Perspectives 4 End-User Perspectives 5 Detailed Steps in the Development and Implementation of Performance Standards 6 Reports from the Breakout Sessions 7 Sharing Acceptable Performance Standards 8 Reflections on the Workshop Appendix A: Workshop Agenda Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Workshop Speakers and Organizing Committee Members Appendix C: Statement of Task

This highly-readable text provides grounds on how to plan and conduct animal experiments that can be reproduced by others. The book touches on factors that may impact the reproducibility of animal studies including: the animal genetic background, the animal microbial flora, environmental and physiological variables affecting the animal, animal welfare, statistics and experimental design, systematic reviews of animal studies, and the publishing process. The book addresses advanced undergraduates, graduate students and all scientists working with animals.

Arranging the transportation of animals at research facilities is often an ordeal. There is a confusing patchwork of local, national, and international regulations; a perceived lack of high-quality shipping services; a dearth of science-based good practices; and a lack of biosafety standards. It's a challenge ?and an impediment to biomedical research. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals identifies the current problems encountered in the transportation of research animals and offers recommendations aimed at local and federal officials to rectify these problems. This book also includes a set of good practices based on the extensive body of literature on transportation of agricultural animals, universal concepts of physiology, and a scientific understanding of species-specific needs and differences. Good practices were developed by the committee to address thermal environment, space requirements, food and water requirements, social interaction, monitoring of transportation, emergency procedures, personnel training, and biosecurity. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals is an essential guide for all researchers, animal care technicians, facilities managers, administrators, and animal care and use committees at research institutions. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Regulations and Guidelines for the Transportation of Research Animals 3 Good Practices in the Transportation of Research Animals 4 Biosecurity 5 Recommendations References Appendix A: Summary of the Animal Welfare Act Regulations Pertaining to Transportation Appendix B: Patterns in the Ground Transportation of Research Animals in the United States About the Authors Index

Much has been written about the care of research animals. Yet little guidance has appeared on protecting the health and safety of the people who care for or use these animals.
This book, an implementation handbook and companion to "Guide For the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals," identifies principles for building a program and discusses the accountability of institutional leaders, managers, and employees for a program's success. It provides a detailed description of risks-- physical and chemical hazards, allergens and zoonoses, and hazards from experiments--which will serve as a continuing reference for the laboratory.
The book offers specific recommendations for controlling risk through administrative procedures, facility design, engineering controls, and periodic evaluations. The volume focuses on the worker, with detailed discussions of work practices, the use of personal protective gear, and the development of an emergency response plan.
This handbook will be invaluable to administrators, researchers, and employees in any animal research facility. It will also be of interest to personnel in zoos, animal shelters, and veterinary facilities.

Scientific advances in our understanding of animal physiology and behavior often require theories to be revised and standards of practice to be updated to improve laboratory animal welfare. This new book from the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR) at the National Research Council, Recognition and Alleviation of Distress in Laboratory Animals, focuses on the stress and distress which is experienced by animals when used in laboratory research. This book aims to educate laboratory animal veterinarians; students, researchers, and investigators; animal care staff, as well as animal welfare officers on the current scientific and ethical issues associated with stress and distress in laboratory animals. It evaluates pertinent scientific literature to generate practical and pragmatic guidelines. Recognition and Alleviation of Distress in Laboratory Animals focuses specifically on the scientific understanding of the causes and the functions of stress and distress, the transformation of stress to distress, and the identification of principles for the recognition and alleviation of distress. This book discusses the role of humane endpoints in situations of distress and principles for the minimization of distress in laboratory animals. It also identifies areas in which further scientific investigation is needed to improve laboratory animal welfare in order to adhere to scientific and ethical principles that promote humane care and practice. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Stress and Distress: Definitions 3 Recognition and Assessment of Stress and Distress 4 Avoiding, Minimizing, and Alleviating Distress 5 Topics for Further Investigation and Recommendations Appendix: Tools to Monitor and Assess Health Status and Well-Being in Stress and Distress About the Authors Index

Science, Medicine, and Animals explains the role that animals play in biomedical research and the ways in which scientists, governments, and citizens have tried to balance the experimental use of animals with a concern for all living creatures. An accompanying Teacher's Guide is available to help teachers of middle and high school students use Science, Medicine, and Animals in the classroom. As students examine the issues in Science, Medicine, and Animals, they will gain a greater understanding of the goals of biomedical research and the real-world practice of the scientific method in general. Science, Medicine, and Animals and the Teacher's Guide were written by the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research and published by the National Research Council of the National Academies. The report was reviewed by a committee made up of experts and scholars with diverse perspectives, including members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health, the Humane Society of the United States, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The Teacher's Guide was reviewed by members of the National Academies' Teacher Associates Network. Science, Medicine, and Animals is recommended by the National Science Teacher's Association NSTA Recommends. Table of Contents Teacher's Guide

A respected resource for decades, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals has been updated by a committee of experts, taking into consideration input from the scientific and laboratory animal communities and the public at large. The Guide incorporates new scientific information on common laboratory animals, including aquatic species, and includes extensive references. It is organized around major components of animal use: Key concepts of animal care and use. The Guide sets the framework for the humane care and use of laboratory animals. Animal care and use program. The Guide discusses the concept of a broad Program of Animal Care and Use, including roles and responsibilities of the Institutional Official, Attending Veterinarian and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Animal environment, husbandry, and management. A chapter on this topic is now divided into sections on terrestrial and aquatic animals and provides recommendations for housing and environment, husbandry, behavioral and population management, and more. Veterinary care. The Guide discusses veterinary care and the responsibilities of the Attending Veterinarian. It includes recommendations on animal procurement and transportation, preventive medicine (including animal biosecurity), and clinical care and management. The Guide addresses distress and pain recognition and relief, and issues surrounding euthanasia. Physical plant. The Guide identifies design issues, providing construction guidelines for functional areas; considerations such as drainage, vibration and noise control, and environmental monitoring; and specialized facilities for animal housing and research needs. The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals provides a framework for the judgments required in the management of animal facilities. This updated and expanded resource of proven value will be important to scientists and researchers, veterinarians, animal care personnel, facilities managers, institutional administrators, policy makers involved in research issues, and animal welfare advocates.

The Development of Science-based Guidelines for Laboratory Animal Care is the summary of an international workshop held in Washington, DC, in November 2003 to bring together experts from around the world to discuss the available knowledge that can positively influence current and pending guidelines for laboratory animal care, identify gaps in that knowledge in order to encourage future research endeavors, and discuss the scientific evidence that can be used to assess the benefits and costs of various regulatory approaches affecting facilities, research, and animal welfare. Table of Contents Front Matter Introduction Plenary Lecture Session 1: Current Status: Identifying the Issues Session 2: Assessment of Animal Housing Needs in the Research Setting--Peer Reviewed Literature Approach Session 3: Approaches to Current Guidelines--US and Europe Session 4: Environmental Control for Animal Housing Dinner Speaker: Kay E. Holekamp Session 5: Environmental Enrichment Issues Point/Counterpoint: The Cases For and Against Harmonization Appendix A: International Workshop on Development of Science-based Guidelines for Laboratory Animal Care Appendix B: Workshop Faculty Appendix C: Committee Bios Appendix D: International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals (1985)

Where there are no alternatives to the use of experimental animals in biomedical research, their welfare has to be ensured as far as possible. The aim of this book is to describe the current knowledge about the welfare of laboratory animals. There is previous literature dealing with the welfare of animals in general, as well as literature dealing with the maintenance and use of laboratory animals. This book brings together these two topics, focusing to the general and species-specific needs of laboratory animals in the light of their welfare. The book will provide material for researchers, lecturers, students and technical staff working with laboratory animals. The authors of this book are leading European scientists in laboratory animal science.

The book has two main parts: part one focuses on the general principles of laboratory animal maintenance and experimental use, as well as factors which have to be taken into account when good research is done with animals. The second part is species specific, concentrating on the species most used as laboratory animals. This part gives a comprehensive description of the welfare questions considered to be important for each species under laboratory conditions.

This new edition?a must for all researchers who use these lab animals?provides practical suggestions for breeding, keeping, and identifying pathogen-free laboratory rodents. It contains three informative sections. The first, Principles of Rodent Disease Prevention, summarizes methods for eliminating infectious agents. It offers information on pathogen terminology; pathogen status of rodents; and breeding, transporting, isolating, testing, and diagnosing rodents. The second section, Individual Disease Agents and Their Effects on Research, describes the diagnosis and control of each infectious agent, and the last section, Diagnostic Indexes: Clinical Signs, Pathology, and Research Complications, contains informative tables covering all the diseases listed in the volume, arranged to help in the diagnosis of infected animals. Table of Contents Front Matter I. Principles of Rodent Disease Prevention 1. Objectives, Terminology, and Overview of Pathogen Status 2. Breeding, Transportation, and Use of Pathogen-Free Rodents 3. Barrier Programs 4. Health Surveillance Programs II. Individual Disease Agents and Their Effects on Research 5. Introduction 6. Respiratory System 7. Digestive System 8. Skin and Joints 9. Hemopoietic System 10. Central Nervous System 11. Genitourinary System 12. Multiple Systems III. Indexes to Diagnosis and Research Complications of Infectious Agents Introduction Clinical Signs Pathology Research Complications References Index

Fungal growths affect both human and animal well-being. Many natural pathogens of laboratory animals alter host physiology, rendering the host unsuitable for experimental uses. While the number and prevalence of few pathogens have declined considerably, many still turn up in laboratory animals and represent unwanted variables in research. Investigators using laboratory animals in biomedical experimentation should be aware of the profound effects that many of these agents can have on research. What does the future hold regarding the natural pathogens of laboratory animals? The selection of an animal model must carefully address issues of the type of human disease to mimic, the parameters to follow, and the collection of the appropriate data to answer those questions being asked. Overall, animal models of fungal infection will continue to deepen our understanding of how these infections occur. This book provides a valuable source of information to biological and biomedical scientists and to clinical and doctoral researchers working in the area of fungal infections and diseases of laboratory animal species.

Key features: Beautifully illustrated with detailed, full-colour images - very user-friendly for investigators, students, and technicians who work with animals Provides essential information for research and clinical purposes, describing some structures not usually shown in any other anatomy atlas In each set of illustrations, the same view is depicted in the mouse and the rat for easy comparison Text draws attention to the anatomical features which are important for supporting the care and use of these animals in research Endorsed by the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Comparative Anatomy of the Mouse and Rat: a Color Atlas and Text provides detailed comparative anatomical information for those who work with mice and rats in animal research. Information is provided about the anatomical features and landmarks for conducting a physical examination, collecting biological samples, making injections of therapeutic and experimental materials, using imaging modalities, and performing surgeries.

Science, Medicine, and Animals explains the role that animals play in biomedical research and the ways in which scientists, governments, and citizens have tried to balance the experimental use of animals with a concern for all living creatures. An accompanying Teacher's Guide is available to help teachers of middle and high school students use Science, Medicine, and Animals in the classroom. As students examine the issues in Science, Medicine, and Animals, they will gain a greater understanding of the goals of biomedical research and the real-world practice of the scientific method in general. Science, Medicine, and Animals and the Teacher's Guide were written by the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research and published by the National Research Council of the National Academies. The report was reviewed by a committee made up of experts and scholars with diverse perspectives, including members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health, the Humane Society of the United States, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The Teacher's Guide was reviewed by members of the National Academies' Teacher Associates Network. Science, Medicine, and Animals is recommended by the National Science Teacher's Association. Table of Contents Front Matter Preface Introduction A Theory of Germs Vaccines Understanding Epilepsy Surgical Advancements Cancer Therapies The Concept of Basic Research Safety Testing Regulation of Animal Research Continuing Efforts to More Efficiently Use Laboratory Animals Conclusion Resources and Web Links

Clear guidelines on the proper care and use of laboratory animals are being sought by researchers and members of the many committees formed to oversee animal care at universities as well as the general public. This book provides a comprehensive overview of what we know about behavior, pain, and distress in laboratory animals. The volume explores: Stressors in the laboratory and the animal behaviors they cause, including in-depth discussions of the physiology of pain and distress and the animal's ecological relationship to the laboratory as an environment. A review of euthanasia of lab animals-exploring the decision, the methods, and the emotional effects on technicians. Also included is a highly practical, extensive listing, by species, of dosages and side effects of anesthetics, analgesics, and tranquilizers. Table of Contents Front Matter 1 Introduction 2 The Basis of Pain 3 The Basis of Stress and Distress Not Induced by Pain 4 Recognition and Assessment of Pain, Stress, and Distress 5 Control of Pain 6 Control of Stress and Distress 7 Euthanasia References Index

The ethical treatment of animals has become an issue of serious moral concern. Many people are challenging long-held assumptions about animals and raising questions about their status and treatment. What is the relationship between humans and animals? Do animals have moral standing? Do we have direct or indirect duties to animals? Does human benefit always outweigh animal suffering? The use of animals for experimentation raises all of these questions in a particularly insistent way. Donna Yarri gives an overview of the current state of the discussion, and presents an argument for significantly restricted animal experimentation. Pointing to the similarities between humans and animals, she argues that the actual differences are differences of degree rather than kind. Animal cognition and animal sentiency together are the basis for the claim that experimental animals do have rights. Examining arguments in the disciplines of ethology, philosophy, science, and theology, Yarri makes a case for placing substantial restrictions on animal experimentation. Grounding her examination in Christian theology, she formulates a more humane approach to animal experimentation. She concludes with a concrete burden-benefit analysis that can serve as the foundation for informed decision-making. The Ethics of Animal Experimentation serves as both a handbook of animal rights theory and a practical guide to navigating the complexities of animal experimentation. As animal experimentation features in an increasing number of scientific endeavors, it is an ethical issue that requires our immediate attention. Yarri's unique contribution forges a path toward an ethical practice of animal experimentation.

This volume is a collection of chapters all contributed by individuals who have presented their ideas at conferences and who take moderate stands with the use of animals in research. Specifically the chapters bear of the issues of: notions of the moral standings of animals, history of the methods of argumentation, knowledge of the animal mind, nature and value of regulatory structures, how respect for animals can be converted from theory to action in the laboratory. The chapters have been tempered by open discussion with individuals with different opinions and not audiences of true believers. It is the hope of all, that careful consideration of the positions in these chapters will leave reader with a deepened understanding--not necessarily a hardened position.

Mouse Genetics offers for the first time in a single comprehensive volume a practical guide to mouse breeding and genetics. Nearly all human genes are present in the mouse genome, making it an ideal organism for genetic analyses of both normal and abnormal aspects of human biology. Written as a convenient reference, this book provides a complete description of the laboratory mouse, the tools used in analysis, and procedures for carrying out genetic studies, along with background material and statistical information for use in ongoing data analysis. It thus serves two purposes, first to provide students with an introduction to the mouse as a model system for genetic analysis, and to give practicing scientists a detailed guide for performing breeding studies and interepreting experimental results. All topics are developed completely, with full explanations of critical concepts in genetics and molecular biology. As investigators around the world are rediscovering both the heuristic and practical value of the mouse genome, the demand for a succinct introduction to the subject has never been greater. Mouse Genetics is intended to meet the needs of this wide audience.

Larry Carbone, a veterinarian who is in charge of the lab animal welfare assurance program at a major research university, presents this scholarly history of animal rights. Biomedical researchers, and the less fanatical among the animal rights activists will find this book reasonable, humane, and novel in its perspective. It brings a novel, sociological perspective to an area that has been addressed largely from a philosophical perspective, or from the entrenched positions of highly committed advocates of a particular position in the debate.

This volume is a collection of chapters all contributed by individuals who have presented their ideas at conferences and who take moderate stands with the use of animals in research. Specifically the chapters bear of the issues of: notions of the moral standings of animals, history of the methods of argumentation, knowledge of the animal mind, nature and value of regulatory structures, how respect for animals can be converted from theory to action in the laboratory. The chapters have been tempered by open discussion with individuals with different opinions and not audiences of true believers. It is the hope of all, that careful consideration of the positions in these chapters will leave reader with a deepened understanding--not necessarily a hardened position.