Special Welfare and Ethical Requirements for Infectious Animal Experiments

doi:10.12300/j.issn.1674-5817.2024.122

Abstract

Abstract:

Infectious disease animal models serve as indispensable tools for understanding the transmission patterns, pathogenesis, and anti-infective medicine. During the preparation and application of infectious animal disease models, situations inevitably arise that violate animal welfare and ethics, such as animal pain, suffering, and distress. Considering the biosafety factors, animal mortality is still used as the experimental endpoint in most experiments on infectious animals, which poses extremely high requirements for animal welfare and ethics. It is imperative to establish guiding principles or norms for the welfare and ethics of infectious animal experiments. Based on the fundamental principles of the welfare and ethics of experimental animals, this paper explores the special welfare and ethical requirements in infectious animal experiments. It emphasizes that infectious animal experiments should fully consider the balance among the scientific objectives of the research plan, animal welfare and ethics, and occupational health and safety of personnel. Based on literature research and comparative analysis of the welfare and ethical requirements of conventional animal experiments, special welfare and ethics requirements for infectious animal experiments are proposed, including personnel requirements, experimental animal selection standards, living environment management and equipment, special care and veterinary care, and humane endpoints. Personnel are required to undergo effective biosafety training, and sufficient authority should be granted to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), veterinarians, and veterinary technicians to ensure the implementation of animal welfare and ethics practices. The selection of laboratory animals should fully consider the requirements of research objectives, welfare, ethics, and biosafety, with the susceptibility and body size of laboratory animals being the key concerns in high-level biosafety laboratories. It is also clarified that the humane endpoint is an indispensable element of welfare and ethics in infectious animal experiments. Environmental enrichment and special care are necessary guarantees for achieving animal welfare and ethics. Therefore, this study can serve as a reference for relevant work.

Key words: Infectious animal experiment, Welfare, Ethics, Humane endpoints

CLC Number:

Q95-33

MIN Fangui,FU Hongkun,LIU Yonggang,et al. Special Welfare and Ethical Requirements for Infectious Animal Experiments[J]. Laboratory Animal and Comparative Medicine, 2025, 45(2): 239-246. DOI: 10.12300/j.issn.1674-5817.2024.122.

Figures/Tables 2

References 32

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福利因素 Welfare factors	常规动物实验 Conventional animal experiments	感染性动物实验 Infectious animal experiments
福利因素 Welfare factors	常规动物实验 Conventional animal experiments	ABSL-2实验室 ABSL-2 laboratory	ABSL-3/4实验室 ABSL-3/4 laboratory
人员 Personnel	具备实验动物从业人员上岗资质或经过专业培训	除满足实验动物从业人员基本需求外，还应接受生物安全相关培训并通过考核	除满足ABSL-2实验室人员要求外，必要时，实验开展前留存本底血清
实验动物 Laboratory animal	遵循“3Rs”原则	除满足“3Rs”原则外，动物易感性是核心要求，关注动物体型大小	除满足“3Rs”原则外，动物易感性是核心要求，动物体型越小、数量越少越好
生存环境 Living environment	普通环境、屏障环境（正压），笼器具空间尺寸满足《实验动物环境及设施》（GB 14925—2023）要求	负压屏障环境，笼器具空间尺寸满足《实验动物环境及设施》（GB 14925—2023）要求	负压屏障环境，使用生物安全型笼具，笼器具空间尺寸满足《实验动物环境及设施》（GB 14925—2023）要求
社会化管理 Social management	动物以群居为主	啮齿类动物群居为主，大动物单笼饲养为主	啮齿类动物群居为主，大动物单笼饲养
采食与饮水 Food and water	自由采食和饮水	必要时辅助饮食和特殊照顾	必要时辅助饮食和特殊照顾
交叉污染控制 Cross contamination control	同一实验间可以多项目兼容	采取有效的隔离措施，同一实验间可以多项目兼容，但应按病原特性分类管理	同一实验间只能从事一种病原感染实验
兽医护理 Veterinary care	正常兽医护理	特殊兽医护理	特殊兽医护理
人道终点 Humane endpoint	必要时设置人道终点	出于生物安全风险控制要求，必须设置人道终点	必须设置人道终点
实验终点 Experimental endpoint	动物可以存活和重复利用	动物死亡	动物死亡

福利因素 Welfare factors	常规动物实验 Conventional animal experiments	感染性动物实验 Infectious animal experiments
福利因素 Welfare factors	常规动物实验 Conventional animal experiments	ABSL-2实验室 ABSL-2 laboratory	ABSL-3/4实验室 ABSL-3/4 laboratory
人员 Personnel	具备实验动物从业人员上岗资质或经过专业培训	除满足实验动物从业人员基本需求外，还应接受生物安全相关培训并通过考核	除满足ABSL-2实验室人员要求外，必要时，实验开展前留存本底血清
实验动物 Laboratory animal	遵循“3Rs”原则	除满足“3Rs”原则外，动物易感性是核心要求，关注动物体型大小	除满足“3Rs”原则外，动物易感性是核心要求，动物体型越小、数量越少越好
生存环境 Living environment	普通环境、屏障环境（正压），笼器具空间尺寸满足《实验动物环境及设施》（GB 14925—2023）要求	负压屏障环境，笼器具空间尺寸满足《实验动物环境及设施》（GB 14925—2023）要求	负压屏障环境，使用生物安全型笼具，笼器具空间尺寸满足《实验动物环境及设施》（GB 14925—2023）要求
社会化管理 Social management	动物以群居为主	啮齿类动物群居为主，大动物单笼饲养为主	啮齿类动物群居为主，大动物单笼饲养
采食与饮水 Food and water	自由采食和饮水	必要时辅助饮食和特殊照顾	必要时辅助饮食和特殊照顾
交叉污染控制 Cross contamination control	同一实验间可以多项目兼容	采取有效的隔离措施，同一实验间可以多项目兼容，但应按病原特性分类管理	同一实验间只能从事一种病原感染实验
兽医护理 Veterinary care	正常兽医护理	特殊兽医护理	特殊兽医护理
人道终点 Humane endpoint	必要时设置人道终点	出于生物安全风险控制要求，必须设置人道终点	必须设置人道终点
实验终点 Experimental endpoint	动物可以存活和重复利用	动物死亡	动物死亡

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