IACUC Considerations for the Use of Livestock in Translational Research

Through its program oversight function, the institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) plays a central role in ensuring the humane use and care of animals in research. To be effective in this role, the IACUC requires explicit knowledge of the species for which it bears oversight responsibility. Owing to a variety of species-specific factors, such as their relatively large size and range of acceptable housing environments, livestock present many special considerations for the IACUC. This article reviews many of those considerations in a format intended to aid IACUCs in the review of animal care and use programs involving livestock species used in translational research.