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Aspects of larval rearing
1Division of Biosciences, University College London, London, UK. carole.wilson@ucl.ac.uk
ILAR Journal
|February 6, 2013
Summary
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are increasingly used in UK research, but lack standardized larval husbandry guidelines. This review aims to establish optimized and standardized zebrafish larval rearing protocols for better research reproducibility.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical research
- Aquatic animal models
Background:
- Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are the second-most used biomedical model in the UK.
- Fish use in research increased by 23% in 2011, largely due to zebrafish.
- Lack of legislative guidelines for larval husbandry exists in the UK, EU, and US.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review published and unpublished protocols for zebrafish larval rearing.
- To establish optimized and standardized husbandry procedures for zebrafish larvae.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of published zebrafish larval rearing protocols.
- Inclusion of unpublished protocols to broaden the scope.
- Analysis of existing methods to identify best practices.
Main Results:
- Identified a wide variety of non-standardized larval rearing procedures.
- Highlighted the need for peer-reviewed, optimized protocols.
- Established a foundation for standardized zebrafish husbandry.
Conclusions:
- Standardized zebrafish larval husbandry is crucial for improving research reproducibility.
- Optimized protocols will enhance the reliability of zebrafish as a model organism.
- Further development and adoption of standardized protocols are recommended.
