Comparative Medicine Volume 74: Issue 4

Adapting to changing conditions has always been necessary for AALAS journals, and current times are no different. Since the publication of Proceedings of the Animal Care Panel in 1951, AALAS journals have undergone significant name and scope changes, and the publication offerings by AALAS have evolved many times to meet the scientific, clinical care, and technical needs of the AALAS community (Figure 1; adapted from Mulder³). These collective changes have culminated in the current catalog of Laboratory Animal Science Professional (LAS Pro), Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science

Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by protozoan species of the genus Plasmodium and transmitted by female mosquitos of the genus Anopheles and other Culicidae. Most of the parasites of the genus Plasmodium are highly species specific with more than 200 species described affecting different species of mammals, birds, and reptiles. Plasmodium species strictly affecting humans are P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. More recently, P. knowlesi and other nonhuman primate plasmodia were found to naturally infect humans. Currently, malaria occurs mostly in poor tropical and subtropical areas of the world, and in many of these countries it is the leading cause of illness and death. For more than 100 y, animal models, have played a major role in our understanding of malaria biology. Avian Plasmodium species were the first to be used as models to study human malaria. Malaria parasite biology and immunity were first studied using mainly P. gallinaceum and P. relictum. Rodent malarias, particularly P. berghei and P. yoelii, have been used extensively as models to study malaria in mammals. Several species of Plasmodium from nonhuman primates have been used as surrogate models to study human malaria immunology, pathogenesis, candidate vaccines, and treatments. Plasmodium cynomolgi, P. simiovale, and P. fieldi are important models for studying malaria produced by P. vivax and P. ovale, while P. coatneyi is used as a model for studying severe malaria. Other nonhuman primate malarias used in research are P. fragile, P. inui, P. knowlesi, P. simium, and P. brasilianum. Very few nonhuman primate species can develop an infection with human malarias. Macaques in general are resistant to infection with P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, and P. ovale. Only apes and a few species of New World monkeys can support infection with human malarias. Herein we review the most common, and some less common, avian, reptile, and mammal plasmodia species used as models to study human malaria.

Helminthiasis due to hookworm infestations in humans and Haemonchus contortus in sheep cause untold levels of disease and economic losses worldwide. Drug resistance is an ever-growing problem with pathogenic helminths. Thus, there is a critical need for new treatment strategies for hookworms and H. contortus that depends on animal models. Because hookworms and H. contortus are obligate parasites, they can only be maintained using live animals. This review describes use of the Syrian golden hamster to propagate hookworms and Mongolian gerbil to propagate H. contortus.

Due to their hematophagous life cycle, hard-bodied ticks including the genus Ixodes are a potential vector for numerous pathogenic organisms including bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and infectious prions. The natural geographic range of several hard tick species, includig Ixodes scapularis, has expanded over recent decades. Consequently, there is an ongoing need to maintain, feed, and propagate ticks for host-pathogen interaction studies to better understand and mitigate their impact on human and animal health. Artificial membrane feeding of hard ticks has advanced in recent years, has study design advantages, and should be used, when possible, to reduce animal use, but it also has several limitations that require the continued use of mammalian hosts including mice, guinea pigs, and rabbits. In this overview, we discuss the best management practices for these relevant species with respect to biosafety, health, and optimal host comfort when used in studies that depend on tick feeding. The capsule-jacket method is preferred over the ear sock-E-collar method of tick feeding on rabbit hosts because of better host health, comfort, and increased study versatility.

Repeated Administration of Pharmaceutical-Grade Medium-Chain Triglycerides, a Common Pharmacologic Excipient, Confers Dose-Dependent Toxicity by the Intraperitoneal but Not Oral Route in Mice

Mitzi Adler-WachterBA,

Julia Y TsaiDVM,

Brendan N SchweitzerMS,

Ashley McDonoughPhD,

Melissa Barker-HaliskiPhD,

Jessica M SnyderDVM, and

Jonathan R WeinsteinMD, PhD

AALAS Journals: Continual Adaptation to Meet Changing Environments

Overview of Plasmodium spp. and Animal Models in Malaria Research

Rodents Used for the Propagation of Hookworms and Haemonchus contortus

Laboratory Management of Mammalian Hosts for Ixodes scapularis-Host-Pathogen Interaction Studies

A Clinical Scoring System and Impact of Athymic Nude Mouse Age on Corynebacterium bovis Clinical Disease

Kidney/Aorta Ratio for Renal Morphometric Determination in Swine Subjected to Acute Kidney Injury Using an Optimized Surgical Model

Establishing a Mouse Genotyping Core Facility Based on Automation, High-resolution Melting Analysis, and Purpose-developed MATLAB Applications for Sample Tracking, Data Analysis, and Report Generation

Development of a Model of Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis Using Transient Unilateral Renal Ischemia and Delayed Contralateral Nephrectomy in Domesticated Cats

Electropenetrography with Alternating Current Reveals In Situ Changes of Aedes aegypti Probing Behaviors Associated with Dengue Virus Infection

Bacteria Endocarditis Caused by Mycoplasma hyorhinis in a Juvenile, Immunosuppressed Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) following Partial Heart Transplantation

AALAS Members

How to access member-only articles.

Repeated Administration of Pharmaceutical-Grade Medium-Chain Triglycerides, a Common Pharmacologic Excipient, Confers Dose-Dependent Toxicity by the Intraperitoneal but Not Oral Route in Mice

Comparison of Intrarenal and Intravenous Injections of Sodium Pentobarbital for Euthanasia in New Zealand White Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Effect of Mouse (Mus musculus) Sex and C57BL/6 Substrain on Sensitivity to Isoflurane and Ketamine-Xylazine-Acepromazine Anesthesia

Best Practices for Supporting Professional Identity Formation during Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency Training

Evaluation of 415-nm Blue Light and Hypochlorous Acid on the Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) Cranial Implant Microbiota