Abstract

Animal research facilities are noisy environments. The high air change rates required in animal housing spaces tend to create higher noise levels from the heating and cooling systems. Housing rooms are typically constructed of hard wall material that is easily cleaned but simultaneously highly reverberant, meaning that the sound cannot be controlled/attenuated so the sounds that are generated bounce around the room uncontrolled. (Soft, sound-absorbing surfaces generally cannot be used in animal facilities because they collect microbes; various wall surface features and sound control panel options are available, although rarely used.) In addition, many of our husbandry tasks such as cage changing, animal health checks, cleaning, and transporting animals produce high levels of noise. Finally, much of the equipment we have increasingly employed in animal housing spaces, such as ventilated caging motors, biosafety, or procedure cabinets, can generate high levels of background noise, including ultrasound. These and many additional factors conspire to create an acoustic environment that is neither naturalistic nor conducive to a stress-free environment. The acoustic variability both within and between institutions can serve as an enormous confounder for research studies and a threat to our ability to reproduce studies over time and between research laboratories. By gaining a better appreciation for the acoustic variables, paired with transparency in reporting the levels, we might be able to gain a better understanding of their impacts and thereby gain some level of control over such acoustic variables in the animal housing space. The result of this could improve both animal welfare and study reproducibility, helping to address our 3Rs goals of Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement in the animal biomedical research enterprise.

Abstract

Intrafacility transport of mice is an essential function for both laboratory and husbandry personnel. However, transport may induce a stress response that can alter research findings and negatively impact animal welfare. To determine minimally adverse intrafacility transport methods, in-cage noise and vibration exposure during transport on a variety of transport vehicles (hand carrying, stainless steel rack, flatbed cart, metal teacart, plastic teacart, and a cart with pneumatic wheels) were measured. Under-cage and in-cage padding was tested for its ability to decrease noise and vibration on each vehicle. Behavioral (open field test and elevated plus maze) and corticosterone responses of mice were then measured following transport on the most adverse (metal teacart) and least adverse (pneumatic cart) methods of multicage transport. Behavioral measures showed no difference between transported mice and untransported mice in both single- and group-housed settings. Plasma corticosterone was significantly elevated in mice transported on the metal teacart immediately following transport and continued to have elevated trends in circadian peaks during the 48 h of sampling. The cart with pneumatic wheels was most effective at reducing noise and vibration, reflected in posttransport corticosterone readings that remained equivalent to those in untransported mice. This study demonstrates that mitigation of noise and vibration during cart transport may decrease the impact of transport on certain stress parameters in mice.

Abstract

The ability to apply findings from animal studies efficiently and effectively is predicated on an understanding of biology and pathobiology, how that biology relates to the human systems being modeled, and how the studies are conducted and reported. This overview discusses various factors in research within the animal environment (referred to as extrinsic factors) that the NIH now expects to be documented to foster replicability in science and expand interpretations of study outcomes. Specifically, an important extrinsic factor in research with animals is that of individual personnel who perform handling practices, participate in research interactions, and share an overall presence in the housing facility with animals, all of which can confound reproducibility efforts in biomedical science. An improved understanding of the influences and behaviors of animal research personnel on animal responses is critical with regard to research results and the interpretation of data collected from animal models of biomedical disease.

General

The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) currently publishes two journals containing data-driven, peer-reviewed articles.

The mission of Comparative Medicine (CM) is to disseminate high-quality, peer-reviewed information that expands biomedical knowledge and promotes human and animal health through the study of laboratory animal disease, animal models of disease, and basic biologic mechanisms related to disease in people and animals.

Dietary Fenbendazole Treatment Does Not Impair Skilled Forelimb Motor Function in C57BL/6J Mice

Michela FracassiMS,

Thiago Rodrigues da SilvaPhD,

Laura A WildingDVM, PhD, and

Theresa A JonesPhD

Noise as an Extrinsic Variable in the Animal Research Facility

Abstract

Noise and Vibration Generation and Response of Mice (Mus musculus) to Routine Intrafacility Transportation Methods

Abstract

The Elephant in the Room: Recognition and Documentation of Personnel Practices That Confound Reproducibility

Abstract

A Comparison of LED with Fluorescent Lighting on the Stress, Behavior, and Reproductive Success of Laboratory Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata)

Abstract

Ammonia Accumulation as a Proxy to Determine Cage-change Frequency in Antelope Ground Squirrels (Ammospermophilus leucurus)

Abstract

Effects of High-protein and High-fiber Diets on Weight and Glucose Regulation in Spiny Mice (Acomys cahirinus)

Abstract

Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Capromorelin in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Abstract

Comparison of Plenum and Cage-level Filter Exhaust Dust PCR Testing to Soiled Bedding Sentinel Mice (Mus musculus) on an IVC Rack

Abstract

Evaluation of a Novel Battery-Operated Tumbler Device for Use in the Detection of Mouse Pathogens for Rodent Health Monitoring

Abstract

Evaluation of Thermal Support during Anesthesia Induction on Body Temperature in C57BL/6 and Nude Mice

Abstract

Pharmacokinetics, Fecal Output, and Grimace Scores in Rabbits Given Long-acting Buprenorphine or Fentanyl for Postsurgical Analgesia

Abstract

Assessing Susceptibility to Carbon Dioxide Gas in Three Rat Strains Using the Loss of Righting Reflex

Abstract

Feasibility of a Sprague–Dawley Rat Model for Investigating the Effects of Seated Whole-body Vibration

Abstract

Venipuncture Site Influences Blood-drop Volume in C57BL/6 Mice

Abstract

Comparison of Novel and Traditional Bleeding Techniques in Neonatal and Juvenile Mice

Abstract

Erratum: Review of Intraperitoneal Injection of Sodium Pentobarbital as a Method of Euthanasia in Laboratory Rodents

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Dietary Fenbendazole Treatment Does Not Impair Skilled Forelimb Motor Function in C57BL/6J Mice

Hypothermia as a Sole Euthanasia Method for Neonatal Mice (Mus musculus)

Animals in Teaching and Research in the Americas: Analysis of Legislation

Spontaneous Benign Thymoma in a 10-Week-Old Female ICR (CD-1) Mouse

Influence of Multiple Factors on Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) Use of a Feeding Enrichment Device