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FRAR course on laboratory approaches to aging. Microbiological effects and quality control in laboratory rodents
1Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Numerous viruses, mycoplasmas, bacteria and parasites have been associated with infectious diseases in laboratory animals. It is clear that pathogenic agents causing overt disease represent a serious hazard to research results in both short- as well as long-term studies. However, these organisms may contaminate colonies without causing any clinical or pathological symptom. This makes research less reliable because of the more subtle effects of the silent infections, especially in long-term studies as in aging research. The establishment of animal colonies that were free from these (micro-) organisms has increased substantially the value of animals used in biomedical research. Characterization of the health status and microbiological monitoring of the animals in experiments are particularly important. This paper reviews many of the major considerations in the efforts to maintain animals free of unwanted organisms, including quality and sources of animals, transportation and quarantine, maintenance during experimentation, microbiological characterization and monitoring of animals and environment.
Insights
Maintaining pathogen-free laboratory animals is crucial for reliable research. This ensures accurate results by preventing subtle effects from silent infections in animal models.
Area of Science:
- Laboratory animal science
- Biomedical research
- Microbiology
Background:
- Pathogenic agents like viruses, bacteria, and parasites can cause overt disease or silent infections in laboratory animals.
- Silent infections, even without clinical signs, compromise research reliability, particularly in long-term studies such as aging research.
- Contaminated animal colonies pose a significant hazard to the validity of experimental results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review key considerations for establishing and maintaining pathogen-free animal colonies.
- To emphasize the importance of microbiological monitoring for ensuring research integrity.
- To highlight how pathogen-free status enhances the value of animals in biomedical research.
Main Methods:
- Review of established practices for maintaining animal health.
- Discussion of strategies for microbiological characterization and environmental monitoring.
- Consideration of animal sourcing, transportation, quarantine, and in-study maintenance.
Main Results:
- Establishing pathogen-free animal colonies significantly increases the value and reliability of biomedical research.
- Proactive health status characterization and continuous microbiological monitoring are essential.
- Comprehensive management from sourcing to experimentation is critical for preventing contamination.
Conclusions:
- Maintaining laboratory animals free from unwanted microorganisms is paramount for robust scientific outcomes.
- Rigorous health monitoring and environmental control are indispensable components of modern biomedical research.
- Pathogen-free animal models provide a higher quality standard for experimental data.