Pain and distress: what really matters?

Area of Science:

• Laboratory animal welfare science
• Regulatory compliance in animal research

Background:

• Federal regulations mandate minimizing pain and distress in laboratory animals.
• Lack of a clear definition for 'distress' hinders its recognition, quantification, and alleviation.
• Current focus on pain may not fully address animal welfare concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for a shift in focus from pain to distress in laboratory animal research.
• To propose criteria for defining 'significant' distress.
• To offer methodological suggestions for quantifying distress levels.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and conceptual analysis of 'distress' in animal research.
• Proposal of criteria for assessing and defining significant distress.
• Discussion of study designs for distress quantification.

Main Results:

• A clear definition of 'distress' is lacking, complicating its management.
• Shifting focus to distress can improve the handling of both pain and distress.
• Criteria for 'significant' distress can be established to guide research and oversight.

Conclusions:

• Defining and measuring distress is crucial for effective animal welfare.
• Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) and investigators should prioritize distress assessment.
• Further research is needed to develop robust methods for quantifying animal distress.