Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T22:39:00.912Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Score Sheets for the Monitoring of Transgenic Mice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

C Mertens  and
T Rülicke
C Mertens*
Affiliation:
Zürcher Tierschutz, Zürichbergstrasse 263, CH-8044, Zürich, Switzerland
T Rülicke
Affiliation:
Central Biological Laboratory (BZL), University Hospital of Zürich, Sternwartstrasse 6, CH-8091, Zürich, Switzerland
*
† Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints at: Bergstrasse 19, CH-8400, Winterthur, Switzerland
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The widespread use of transgenic animals in research, and especially for generating models of human disease, has given rise to calls for a careful documentation of transgenic strains with particular emphasis on characterizing phenotypes and their animal welfare aspects. Based upon several published suggestions for general health monitoring of laboratory animals and upon a questionnaire we developed for the characterization of transgenic strains, score sheets for litter-wise and individual data collection were tested in a pilot study. The documentation concept and some of the most important parameters are presented and discussed with respect to their feasibility and usefulness. The use of score sheets can help in determining the application of humane end points at the individual level, phenotype characterization and assessment of animal welfare for the whole strain, and the development of better breeding strategies - apart from being of direct scientific interest. We suggest that these score sheets, available via the Internet at: www.bzl.unizh.ch/de/database/formtransg/index2.html, should be applied for routine and comprehensive phenotype characterizations of transgenic mouse strains used and kept for animal experimentation.

Keywords

micephenotype assessmentscore sheettransgenic animalswelfare assessment
Type
Short Communication
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 8 , Issue 4: Special Issue: Genetics and Animal Welfare , November 1999 , pp. 433 - 438
Copyright
© 1999 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Arbeitskreis Berliner Tierschutzbeauftragter 1997 Empfehlungen des Arbeitskreises Berliner Tierschutzbeauftragter für die vorzeitige Tötung erheblich leidender Versuchstiere. Der Tierschutzbeauftragte: 15–16Google Scholar
Bundesamt für Veterinärwesen 1994 Retrospektive Einteilung von Tierversuchen nach Schweregraden (Belastungskategorien). In: Tierschutz, Tierversuche und Alternativmethoden (Information 1.05). Bundesamt für Veterinärwesen: Liebefeld-Bern, SwitzerlandGoogle Scholar
Bundesamt für Veterinärwesen 1998 Gentechnisch veränderte Wirbeltiere: Anwendung der Tierschutzgesetzgebung auf Herstellung, Zucht, Haltung und Verwendung zu Versuchszwecken. In: Tierschutz, Tierversuche und Alternativmethoden (Information 4.05). Bundesamt für Veterinärwesen: Liebefeld-Bem, SwitzerlandGoogle Scholar
Clausing, P (in press) Long-term improvement of stress-coping and behavioural endpoints induced by preweaning experience in rats and mice - a review. Laboratory Animals:Google Scholar
Costa, P 1997a Neuro-behavioural tests in welfare assessment of transgenic animals. In: O’Donoghue, P N (ed) Harmonization of Laboratory Animal Husbandry, Proceedings of the Sixth FELASA Symposium, 19-21 June 1996, Basel, Switzerland pp 51–53. Royal Society of Medicine Press: London, UKGoogle Scholar
Costa, P 1997b Production of transgenic animals: practical problems and welfare aspects. In: Van Zutphen, L F M and Van der Meer, M (eds) Welfare Aspects of Transgenic Animals, Proceedings of the EC Workshop of October 30, 1995 pp 68–77. Springer: Berlin, Heidelberg, New YorkCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mepham, T B, Combes, R D, Balls, M, Barbieri, O, Blockhuis, H J, Costa, P, Crilly, R E, de Cock Buning, T, Delpire, V C, O’Hare, M J, Houdebine, L-M, Van Kreijl, C F, Van der Meer, M, Reinhardt, C A, Wolf, E, Van, Zeller A-M 1998: The use of transgenic animals in the European Union; the report and Recommendations of ECVAM workshop 28. ATLA 26: 21–43Google Scholar
Morton, D B 1990 Adverse effects in animals and their relevance to refining scientific procedures. ATLA 18: 29–39Google Scholar
Renner, P 1996 Aufgabe des Tierpflegers bei der Erstellung von transgenen Mäusen. Der Tierschutzbeauftragte: 213–218Google Scholar
Scharmann, W 1998 Tierschutz von transgenen Tieren. In: Tierlaboratorium 20 - 1997 pp 138–142. Zentrale Tierlaboratorien und Institut für Tiersschutz, Verhaltenslehre und Versuchstierkunde der Freien Universität und Bundesinstitut für gesundheitlichen Verbraucherschutz und Veterinärmedezin: Berlin, Germany: Berlin, GermanyGoogle Scholar
Van der Meer, M, Baumanns, V and Van Zutphen, LFM 1996 Measuring welfare aspects of transgenic animals. ATLA 24 (special issue): 68 (Abstract)Google Scholar
Van der Meer, M, Baumanns, V and Van Zutphen, LFM 1997 Use and welfare aspects of transgenic animals. In: O’Donoghue, P N (ed) Harmonization of Laboratory Animal Husbandry, Proceedings of the Sixth FELASA Symposium, 19-21 June 1996, Basel, Switzerland pp 49–51. Royal Society of Medicine Press: London, UKGoogle Scholar
Van der Meer, M and Van Zutphen, LFM 1997 Welfare aspects of transgenic animals and welfare implications. In: Van Zutphen, LFM and Van der Meer, M (eds) Welfare Aspects of Transgenic Animals, Proceedings of the EC Workshop of October 30, 1995 pp 78–89. Springer: Berlin, Heidelberg, New YorkCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Zutphen LFM and Van der Meer (eds) 1997 Welfare Aspects of Transgenic Animals, Proceedings of the EC Workshop of October 30, 1995. Springer: Berlin, Heidelberg, New YorkGoogle Scholar