Progress in the replacement of animal experiments in the quality control of clostridial vaccines

Animal experiments still play a central role in the quality control of vaccines. Generally, performance of these experiments is provided by law and laid down in the European Pharmacopoeia. Classical vaccines, the efficacy of which is calculated in International Units, require a very high number of experimental animals for quality control testing. The testing mainly consists of infection and intoxication experiments causing extreme suffering of the animals involved. This classical product group includes clostridial vaccines which are used to a great extent in veterinary medicine in particular. Within the last years, considerable efforts have been made to reduce the number of animal experiments in this field, lower the number of animals, and decrease the suffering of the animals during testing. Several research projects for the development and validation of alternative methods have been initiated. Furthermore, the 3R Concept (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) is increasingly taken into consideration when developing or revising legal provisions. This led to various improvements regarding animal welfare in the quality control of clostridial vaccines.     

动物药学专业实验动物学教学内容的组织和优化

实验动物学是一门多学科交叉融合的学科,涉及的内容较广。如何针对不同的专业组织和优化教学内容是教学过程中的首要问题。以河南科技大学动物科技学院动物药学专业为例,介绍如何对实验动物学教学内容进行组织和优化,提出以基础知识为核心,专业培养目标为准则,专业课程结构为参考的组织和优化原则,以期为其他兄弟院校实验动物学教学内容选择时提供帮助或参考。     

澳大利亚高校教学方法对吉林农业科技学院学生动物实验技能提高的启示

在生命科学研究领域,实验动物和动物实验起着非常重要的作用,为了提高本科生动物实验技能的训练,以适应就业岗位的需要,结合澳大利亚高校教学方法,对吉林农业科技学院动物科技学院相关专业实验动物技术课程进行理论和实验教学内容及方法的调整与改进,在教学理念方面强调“以学生本”,理论教学采用小组合作式和以问题为导向的教学模式;实验教学以项目法结合教师科研以提高学生动物实验技能为目的,多种教学方法相互融合以提高教学效果,旨在提高该校本科生动物实验技能,提高科技创新能力及就业竞争力。     

Preliminary survey of the attitudes of Brazilian scientists towards pain management and assessment in animals used in science

ObjectiveTo investigate the current scenario in Brazil regarding pain assessment and control in experimental animals.Study designProspective survey.MethodsA confidential questionnaire was available online and sent by e-mail to Brazilian scientists working with animal experimentation in Brazil. Data collection was conducted from October 2016 to October 2017. The exclusion criteria included blank questionnaires or with <80% completed responses, researchers not performing experiments involving animals and foreign scientists.ResultsA total of 96 questionnaires from 104 respondents were analyzed. The Fisher’s exact test showed a disparity between the proportions of scientists who recognized the importance of analgesia and their application of analgesic techniques in painful procedures (p < 0.0003), and also for the researchers who assumed that experiments inflicted pain and their classification of the degree of invasiveness (p < 0.0001), indicating their insufficient knowledge of these topics. Overall, 77% of institutions did not offer specific training to assess pain in experimental animals, and 24% of respondents had no training to work with animal experimentation. In total, 62% of the studies inflicted pain, 48% of respondents used pain scales, and the drugs administered most frequently for pain management were morphine (44%), meloxicam (43%) and tramadol (37%); 15% of respondents did not include analgesics even though their studies inflicted pain. Commonly used animals were rats (33%), mice (29%) and rabbits (8%).Conclusions and clinical relevanceThe results of this preliminary survey indicated that in Brazil there is a gap in the knowledge and training on pain assessment and management of experimental animals. Therefore, there is a necessity for an educational program to prepare and train scientists to assess and manage pain in laboratory or experimental animals. Further studies using a psychometrically validated survey instrument are warranted.     

Schofield memorial lecture. Bull semen and muscle ATP: some evidence of the dawn of medical science in ancient Egypt.

The importance of animal experimentation to human and animal health is not well understood by an increasingly articulate segment of the public. This could have very unfortunate consequences for man and his domestic animals. Even veterinarians and physicians are not as conversant as they need be about the great extent to which advances in human health have depended upon animal observations and experiments. Some believe that resort to "animal models" of biomedical phenomena, including diseases--a comparative or analogical approach to medical studies--is a relatively recent event. Even medical historians often treat these subjects as occasionally recurring aberrations which began with the Greeks, thus largely overlooking the historical meaning and continuing importance of "one medicine" irrespective of species. In fact, comparative medicine has probably been basic to medical progress ever since the dawn of a medical science. Recent research indicates that this approach to biomedical mysteries began to evolve in the minds of Egypt's healer-priests long before Aristotle and the later Alexandrian Greeks made the whole process explicit. Here we examine the origins of what were possibly the first two biomedical theories profounded from inferences based upon dissections, confirmed in at least one instance by experiment, and then applied to medical practice.     

Cyclic variation in cattle feed intake data: characterization and implications for experimental design

Feed intake data were collected every 6 h in a 140-d feeding trial involving two pens of 15 bull calves, each using one Pinpointer single-animal feeding stall per pen. Spectral analysis of these data revealed strong cyclic patterns of feed intake. These patterns were unique to each animal and consisted of two or more cycle lengths, some up to 28 d, for each animal. Feed intake behavior is an important factor in many forms of animal experimentation. Animal researchers frequently use row-column designs, where columns represent animals and rows represent periods. Latin squares and crossover designs are common examples. Standard analysis of variance procedures are appropriate for these experiments only if certain assumptions are met; one is that if cyclic variation is present, it is identical for all animals, i.e., there is no row X column interaction. If this assumption is not satisfied, standard analysis of variance procedures will result in upward bias of the mean square error and may result in serious distortion of treatment effect estimates. This occurred using the data from the feeding trial reported in this paper. Time-series analysis of covariance greatly improved the accuracy and efficiency of estimates of treatment effects. Consideration of variations in cyclic behavior should be part of the design process in experiments using feed intake data. Guidelines for the design of experiments to take advantage of time-series methodology are given.     

《实验动物学》的教学方法探讨

《实验动物学》是研究实验动物和动物实验的一门新兴学科,是生命科学研究的基础和条件,是现代生命科学前沿领域研究中最为活跃的学科门类之一。为了更好地讲授该课程,就《实验动物学》的教学方法进行了初步地探讨,以期为同行提供参考。     

ASAS Centennial Paper: animal science teaching: a century of excellence

Teaching has a long and varied history in the life of departments of animal science and the American Society of Animal Science. Some of the earliest reports from meetings of the society have strong indication that planning the curriculum was a prominent feature of the meetings. Teaching symposia were also included almost from the beginning. The society went through a lengthy period from the 1940s through most of the 1960s when teaching was not a prominent focus, but a symposium in 1968 appeared to be a catalyst for change, and, since that date, teaching has again been an important part of the meetings. In recent years, outstanding symposia and contributed papers have made the teaching section a vibrant entry. Departments of animal science have changed considerably since the early days in which "men taught boys" and the primary goal was to produce farmers. More female students, more urban students, interest in a wide variety of animals, and greatly diversified career goals have been emerging during the last few decades. Departments of animal science and the American Society of Animal Science are positioning to be able to respond to change and face the challenge of providing excellence in teaching during the next century.     

"Concepts in animal welfare": a syllabus in animal welfare science and ethics for veterinary schools

Public attitudes toward animal welfare have improved with growing social affluence, and veterinarians are increasingly expected to be informed about animal welfare in a broader sense than health alone. However, animal welfare has not been a traditional component of the veterinary curriculum. To help address this lack, the World Society for the Protection of Animals(WSPA) and the University of Bristol School of Veterinary Science launched the 'Concepts in Animal Welfare' syllabus in 2003. This comprehensive syllabus comprises seven core and 23 elective modules and covers a range of animal welfare issues, including farm and companion animal welfare, wildlife, and the use of animals in experiments. There are also modules on ethics and animal legislation. The syllabus is interactive, promotes critical analysis of issues from different angles, and may be adapted for use in any veterinary curriculum. WSPA provides training and workshops in developing countries and assists with the implementation of the syllabus.     

Training and Certification of Farm Animal Care in Teaching and Research Institutions

Fane animal worker training and certification programs are currently not available. Programs are needed for training and certification of farm animal workers in teaching and research facilities at universities and companies and on commercial farms. Consumers support farm animal welfare assurances. Although the focus of this paper is the development of programs for teaching and research institutions, commodity-based assurance programs and laboratory animal worker training programs provide models for future programs that could provide assurance of acceptable farm animal care. The Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) training tapes on the use of farm animals in teaching and research are a first step toward the development of a full menu of training products for farm animal care. The FASS Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching (Ag Guide) should provide a template for science-based training materials for people who work with farm animals.     

Laboratory animal medicine — Needs and opportunities for Canadian veterinarians

Laboratory animal medicine is a growing field of veterinary practice that emphasizes animal welfare and refinement of research animal care. The Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Medicine/L’association canadienne de la medecine des animaux de laboratoire (CALAM/ACMAL) and the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) provide a framework within which laboratory animal veterinarians practise. Numerous continuing education and post-graduate training opportunities exist in Canada for veterinarians interested in pursuing this specialty.     

饲料分析与质量检测技术实验教学方法改革

西藏农牧学院动物科学专业获批了国家第一批实用技能型卓越农林人才培养模式改革试点专业。为响应国家对人才培养模式改革的要求,学校对人才培养方案进行了大力改革。饲料分析与质量检测技术是动物科学专业的重要课程,实践应用性较强。在实验教学过程中通过项目教学法为介导,培养了学生的动手能力、创新意识、协作精神,优化了实验课程教学体系。     

Animal science departments of the future

Departments of animal science were established in agricultural colleges of public universities just over 100 yr ago, shortly before the founding of today's American Society of Animal Science. These departments and colleges have been remarkably resilient, changing little structurally. Yet, the future portends significant changes in these departments and colleges in response to shifts in how public higher education is financed and how society views the roles of animals in providing food and companionship. Funding for public higher education will continue to decline as a percentage of government appropriations. Public universities will garner more funding from gifts, endowments, grants, contracts, and tuition but will be held more accountable than today by public officials. Departments of animal science will retain strong constituencies and will be major units of most agricultural colleges; however, their students and faculty will be more diverse. Departments of animal science will focus on more species of animals and on a greater role of animals in society. Disciplines of faculty members in departments of animal science will become broader, and research projects will be more complex and have longer horizons, ultimately focused more on sustainability. Departments will share more resources across state and national boundaries, and there will be less duplication of effort regionally. Departments of animal science will continue to be important academic units of universities into the 22nd century.     

二甲酸钾的生物学功能及其在猪、鸡生产中的应用

二甲酸钾具有调节动物消化道内pH、改善动物肠道微生态环境、增加饲粮营养物质消化利用率等功能,其在提高动物生长性能和预防疾病发生等方面起到了与抗生素相似的良好效果。本文综述了二甲酸钾的生物学功能及其在猪、鸡生产中的应用,以期为二甲酸钾在猪、鸡生产中更好地应用提供理论参考。     

肠黏膜自然杀伤细胞的免疫功能及其调控

自然杀伤(NK)细胞是肠黏膜免疫屏障的重要组分。本文从NK细胞的发育学特征、分子表型切入,分析了其在维护肠道屏障完整性中发挥的功能,以及肠道微生物对其免疫功能的调节作用,旨在为疾病预防和肠道健康的营养调控提供理论依据。     

合生素替代抗生素对断奶仔猪生长性能、肠道黏膜形态与免疫性能及结肠微生态的影响

本试验旨在研究合生素替代抗生素对断奶仔猪生长性能、肠道黏膜形态、空肠黏膜免疫因子含量和结肠内容物微生物组成的影响。选取72头21日龄的健康杜×长×大三元杂阉公猪,按体重分为3组,每组6个重复,每个重复4头仔猪。抗生素组饲喂添加抗生素的饲粮,试验组分别添加500(0.05%)、1 000 mg/kg(0.10%)的合生素替代抗生素。试验期为28 d,分为2个阶段(第1～14天和第15～28天)。结果表明:1)各组间不同阶段的平均日增重(ADG)、平均日采食量(ADFI)、料重比(F/G)和腹泻频率均没有显著差异(P>0.05),但0.05%合生素组第1～14天的平均日增重与抗生素组相比有提高的趋势(P=0.07)。2) 0.05%、0.10%合生素组空肠绒毛高度显著高于抗生素组(P<0.05);十二指肠、空肠、回肠隐窝深度各组之间无显著差异(P>0.05)。3) 0.05%、0.10%合生素组空肠黏膜中白细胞介素-4 (IL-4)的含量显著高于抗生素组(P<0.05);空肠黏膜中肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)、干扰素-γ(INF-γ)、白细胞介素-1β(IL-1β)和白细胞介素-6(IL-6)的含量各组之间无显著差异(P>0.05)。4)与抗生素组相比,0.05%合生素组结肠内容物中乳酸杆菌和双歧杆菌的数量显著增加(P<0.05),0.10%合生素组结肠内容物中双歧杆菌的数量显著增加(P<0.05);结肠内容物中总细菌和大肠杆菌的数量各组之间无显著差异(P>0.05)。由此可见,饲粮中添加合生素替代抗生素不会降低断奶仔猪的生长性能,还可控制腹泻,提高空肠绒毛高度和免疫性能,维持肠道微生态平衡,其适宜添加量为0.05%。     

Teaching animal welfare at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Veterinary Science

Animal welfare is part of the Mission Statement of the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney and is taught throughout the undergraduate curriculum. Two units of study have a particular focus on animal welfare: Professional Practice in years 1, 2, and 3 and Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science in year 3. There is an emphasis on the refinement and development of alternatives to the use of animals in teaching. With a conscientious objection policy in place, these elements of our approach demonstrate the increasing importance of ethical teaching in the faculty. Undergraduate students have recently founded a vibrant special interest group called Veterinary Students for Animal Welfare. The faculty is advised on matters relating to animal welfare by its Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, chaired by the Sub-Dean for Animal Welfare. With the development of a Faculty Animal Welfare Policy, the faculty is progressing to a more proactive and public profile on animal welfare issues.     

丝兰提取物生理功能及其在养殖生产上的应用

丝兰属是一类集观赏、食用、药用、饲料添加剂于一体的多功能植物。丝兰提取物的活性成分包含甾体皂苷、多酚类、多糖等物质,具有抗氧化、抗炎抑菌、抗肿瘤、免疫刺激活性、降糖、降低胆固醇、促进生长等多种功能。本文从丝兰提取物的主要活性成分、生理功能及其在养殖生产上的应用等方面进行阐述,深入探讨丝兰属植物在食用、药用及动物生产中可能的作用机制及潜在的应用价值。     

山东及周边部分地区猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒的变异与遗传演化分析

为了解中国山东及周边部分地区自2017年以来猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒(PRRSV)流行株的分子流行病学特征、基因组变化规律,作者收集来自山东省、河南省和江苏省的部分猪场采集及送检的疑似PRRS症状猪组织样品70份,利用RT-PCR方法对其进行PRRSV检测。对部分阳性病料中PRRSV的基因重组、决定中国高致病性PRRSV(HP-PRRSV)致病性和复制力的Nsp9第561、586和592位氨基酸等进行分析,以探明该区域PRRSV的遗传演化规律。结果显示,PRRSV检出率为55.7%,从上述样品筛选11株PRRSV分离株。Nsp2序列分析显示,与经典美洲毒株VR-2332相比,7株PRRSV分离株的Nsp2蛋白分别在第481及533-561位发生了30个氨基酸的不连续缺失,这与我国自2006年以来流行的HP-PRRSV的缺失特征相同;2株PRRSV分离株的Nsp2蛋白在481、533-561及595-597位发生了三个部位的共33个不连续氨基酸的缺失;2株PRRSV分离株的Nsp2蛋白在475-518及533-561位出现了两个部位的共73个不连续氨基酸的缺失。该研究中PRRSV分离毒株的Nsp2基因已发生了明显的新型缺失。采用基因重组分析软件RDP4分析显示,以上后4株新型缺失株存在较大的基因重组,且重组部位和重组片段数量不相同;4株病毒均以高致病性毒株JXA1作为重组的主要亲本毒株,多数重组变化集中在Nsp2蛋白区域,在其他非结构蛋白和次要蛋白区域也可见部分重组变化。另外,Nsp9第561、586和592位氨基酸变异分析显示,该4株病毒在上述三个氨基酸位点与中国HP-PRRSV相符。本研究为深入探索PRRSV的遗传变异规律及相关生物学特性研究积累了数据。