We address housing, refinements of husbandry, and some concerns regarding the use of parrots as laboratory animals. Because the duration of a project is most likely brief relative to the lifespan of the bird, among the most important goals is a well-established socialization program to maximize success of rehoming the birds after laboratory housing. We also present appropriate methods for catching and restraining parrots during experimental procedures. We discuss factors that contribute to appropriate laboratory and cage environments, such as the importance of cage location in the animal room as well as providing birds with suitable perching and enrichment devices. Finally, we review a few methods for scoring signs of compromised welfare in psittacine birds.

As a result of increasing internal and external pressures, research institutions are using contract research organizations for the conduct of in vivo research. Many issues arise when contracting animal research, including concern regarding animal health and welfare. Each sponsor institution should develop a program for outsourced in vivo research that evaluates and ensures appropriate care and use of research animals. Each sponsoring institution should consider establishing a policy and procedure for how outsourced in vivo studies will be approved, conducted, and monitored. An approved list of contract facilities can be established on the basis of accepted standards for animal care and use. Written contracts should include confidentiality agreements, the delineation of animal ownership, and the expectation to comply with all applicable regulations and guidelines for research animal care and use. Finally, a process for communication of adverse study or animal welfare events should be established. Thorough evaluation of contract organizations will help ensure appropriate research animal care and use.

The chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX) is associated with a dose-dependent cardiotoxicity that can eventuate into heart failure. This study aimed to characterize the onset and degree of cardiotoxicity in rats receiving 10 mg/kg DOX administered as a single intraperitoneal injection (DOX1), 10 daily intraperitoneal injections of 1 mg/kg (DOX2), or in 5 weekly intraperitoneal injections of 2 mg/kg (DOX3). Transthoracic echocardiography measurements were recorded every week to characterize the onset and degree of cardiotoxicity in the 3 groups. An 80% mortality rate was observed at day 28 in DOX1, whereas DOX2 and DOX3 reached 80% mortality at days 107 and 98, respectively. Fractional shortening decreased by 30% at week 2 in DOX1, 55% at week 13 in DOX2, and 42% at week 13 in DOX3. In addition, cardiac function clearly differed between DOX1 and DOX3, whereas DOX2 and DOX3 were similar. These findings indicate that administration of the dose over the course of days (DOX2) or weeks (DOX3) results in a better survival rate and more classic signs of DOX-induced dilated cardiomyopathy, albeit with later onset, as compared with a single 10 mg/kg bolus injection of DOX.

We clinically and clinicopathologically investigated the immobilizing and sedative effects of a medetomidine–midazolam (MM) combination in Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata) and its antagonism with atipamezole. MM (medetomidine, 60 μg/kg; midazolam, 0.3 mg/kg) was administered intramuscularly to each monkey (n = 11). All animals were laterally recumbent within 13 ± 6 min after administration of MM. This combination induced deep sedation accompanied by analgesia, muscle relaxation, and markedly depressed arousal reactions to external stimuli. After administration of atipamezole (240 μg/kg intramuscularly), the animals recovered rapidly and smoothly to their normal postures within 10 ± 2 min. In this study, the hematologic and serum biochemical parameters of Japanese monkeys given MM did not differ significantly from those of Japanese monkeys under general anesthesia via ketamine. Salivary α-amylase activities (stress indexes) ranged from 4 to 99 kU/l in Japanese monkeys, similar to levels measured in humans. An important advantage of MM was that its effects were reversible with atipamezole. We have confirmed that MM is valuable as a chemical restraint agent in Japanese monkeys for various experimental procedures.

Murine norovirus (MNV) is a recently discovered infectious agent in mice and may be the most common naturally occurring infection of laboratory mice in North America. In 2005, we surveyed the Swiss Webster female sentinel mice in our institute's research facilities. Of the 4 facilities surveyed, 3 had sentinel mice that were positive for MNV antibodies, whereas our largest facility (which only receives mice directly from select vendors or by embryo rederivation directly into the facility) was apparently MNV-free. However, testing of sentinel mice in this large facility 1 y later found that 2% of the animals had developed MNV-specific antibodies. In a recently opened fifth facility, a serologic survey in 2006 identified MNV-antibody–positive Tac:SW sentinel mice that had received bedding from experimental mice on the same rack quadrant. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction analysis of feces from the cages of these mice showed evidence for shedding of MNV. These sentinel mice were used to study the fecal excretion, antibody development, gross lesions upon necropsy, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry of the viral infection. None of the MNV-antibody–positive sentinel mice exhibited clinical signs or gross lesions, but these mice excreted virus in feces and developed antibodies to MNV. Histopathologic lesions consisted only of a few hepatic inflammatory foci in each liver section, some of which were immunoreactive with antibodies to MNV. MNV viral antigens also were present in the mesenteric lymph nodes.

Ensuring biosecurity for pathogen-free rodents generally requires processing all materials that come in direct contact with the animals, including feed, to reduce or eliminate unwanted adventitious agents. A common method of processing animal feed is gamma irradiation. Irradiation is performed offsite and requires transport of feed from the irradiator to the point of use, potentially resulting in surface contamination of the packaging. We tested whether an autoclave could be used to provide a flash disinfection cycle to decontaminate the outer feed packaging while having a limited effect on nutritional feed quality. We developed a standardized and repeatable method, which involved attaching sterile glass vials containing Pseudomonas aeruginosa- and Staphylococcus aureus-laden culture broth onto the bag's surface, to validate effectiveness of the process. Nutritional analyses verified that the flash process had minimal effect on feed quality. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry confirmed that subjecting feed packaging to the elevated cycle temperatures and pressures did not result in feed contamination by the packaging materials. The lowest autoclave setting that produced consistent surface disinfection, as determined by 3 consecutive negative cultures, was exposure of the bag surface to a chamber temperature of at least 82 °C for a minimum of 2 min. This flash disinfection process has been implemented successfully in 5 vivaria supporting more than 35,000 rodent cages daily.

We surveyed 27 people who had adopted a total of 43 adult domestic ferrets after their use in a series of veterinary student surgery teaching laboratories to assess the success of those adoptions and to determine the rate of occurrence of common maladies of domestic ferrets after adult gonadectomy as compared with the usual practice of early-age gonadectomy. The adoptions took place 1–7 y prior to the survey. The response rate was 48% of adopters, covering 53% of the ferrets. Overall the success of former breeding and instructional ferrets as pets were rated as 91% good or excellent and 4.5% poor. Behavioral issues (for example, nipping, failure to litter train) were noted as the most common problems (36% of ferrets). Adrenal gland disease, insulinoma, or lymphosarcoma occurred in 23% of all ferrets and accounted for 57% of those ferrets that had died prior to the time of the survey.

Exteriorized chronic intravascular catheters (ECICs) are used frequently for repeated substance administration, sampling, and measuring of hemodynamic parameters in biomedical research protocols. ECICs can be a management challenge because they have been associated with catheter occlusion, thrombosis, sepsis, and serious clinical sequela. A monitoring regimen that identified infection early and a treatment protocol that eliminated infection would be of great benefit to animals and to research protocols using ECICs. Using clinical pathology and other parameters, this study compares 2 management strategies in their ability to maintain the physiologic condition of the animals with ECICs. We compared the clinical outcome of treatment initiated in light of an elevated white blood cell count without delay for development of left shift or clinical signs coupled with prolonged duration of treatment (28 d for the first treatment and 42 d for subsequent treatments) with conventional antibiotic treatment initiated after the advent of clinical signs. Significant findings of the study were that the use of fever as an indicator of infection unnecessarily delayed the initiation of treatment by an average of 12 d and that the use of a single clinical pathologic parameter (white blood cell count more than 18,000 cells/ml) as indication for treatment, with or without fever, in addition to prolonged antibiotic treatment (28 d for the first treatment and 42 d for subsequent treatment) initiated as soon as the white blood cell count exceeded 18,000 cells/ml and without delay for development of fever resulted in superior health of the animals with ECICs.

Nine of 24 ovariectomized nude mice developed ulcerative skin lesions 28 d after implantation with human breast cancer cells and slow-release estrogen pellets. Aerobic culture of samples from the skin lesions yielded Staphylococcus intermedius. By day 45 postimplantation, all mice displayed ulcerative skin lesions, and 5 mice exhibited hunched posture, listless behavior, cyanosis, anorexia, and dehydration. This subset was euthanized but not necropsied. When additional animals became moribund, the investigator elected to end the study at day 51. At necropsy, all 20 but 1 had cystitis and urolithiasis, characterized by relatively large struvite stones and crystals that had filled the urinary bladders of the research animals and caused severe thickening of the bladder walls. Gram-positive cocci were observed microscopically in both the kidneys and bladders of the necropsied animals. Spontaneous urolithiasis has not previously been documented to occur in association with infection of female nude mice by S. intermedius.

Only a few case reports have described heart diseases in monkeys, and most cases have involved postmortem diagnosis. A newborn female Japanese macaque showed weakness immediately after birth and died 1 d thereafter. Necropsy revealed that the animal had tetralogy of Fallot and patent ductus arteriosus. This report is the first description of tetralogy of Fallot in a monkey.

A 10-y-old female rhesus macaque presented acutely with 3 large (diameter, greater than 4 cm), malodorous, ulcerogangrenous skin wounds on the left caudal thigh and calf. Limb radiographs revealed free gas infiltrating deep tissues, and histologic examination confirmed myonecrosis. Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus, and Prevotella intermedia were isolated from the wounds. Antimicrobials, analgesics, and aggressive debridement of necrotic skin and muscle resulted in immediate clinical improvement of the primate. At 1 wk prior to presentation, the animal had received several intramuscular injections in close proximity to the site of infection. Repeated intramuscular injections through excrement-contaminated skin possibly contributed to the pathogenesis of infection. Continued therapy consisted of biweekly wound debridement and nonadherent bandage changes for 7 wk. The macaque regained full use of the affected leg and remains in good physical condition at our facility. Our management of this case led to improvements in training regarding intramuscular injection practices in our macaque colony. This case study is the first report of Clostridium perfringens myonecrosis in a laboratory nonhuman primate. We discuss various methodologies for the diagnosis and treatment of necrotizing clostridial infections.

This case report describes the ultrasonographic findings during an idiopathic spontaneous abortion in an owl monkey. The female owl monkey presented for a transabdominal ultrasonogram to evaluate her pregnancy. This evaluation is a routine monitoring procedure in our owl monkey breeding colony. Although the fetus and placenta appeared normal at the initial scan, no fetal heartbeat could be detected. We followed the abortion with serial ultrasonographic scans and documented complete involution of the uterus post-abortion.