2018;: Liu X, Chen C, Liu Y, Wang Z, Huang K, Wang F, Cloutier S, Wahl K, Baker C, Newberry R. The social buffering effect of playful handling on responses to repeated intraperitoneal injections in laboratory rats. Temperature regulation specifically affects autonomic and behavioral effectors, including pharmacokinetics and metabolism of drugs and other chemicals. This course offers an introduction to working with mice in research settings including the regulatory mandates and biological features of mice. In Another study, gentle handling reduced the swimming immobility in the FST compared to mice that were aggressively or minimally handled, and suggest that gentle handling can reduce the stress and despair in the animals [21]. Mol Metab. Handling and Restraint Mice are generally easy to restrain, but their small size makes them especially vulnerable to physical injury, not least by the handler inadvertently dropping them when bitten. It also reviews occupational health plans for individuals working with laboratory animals. An adult rat is more than 10 times larger than a mouse. These observations also point to the need to standardize the handling procedures in order to reduce the depressive symptoms in mice. Hurst and West compared the fear and anxiety responses of mice handled by this method to the fear and anxiety of mice caught either by scooping them up in a “cupped” hand or by allowing them to walk into a clear acrylic tunnel before handling them. Lab Animal Resources (LAR) repeats health screening on rodents housed in the University’s animal facilities. This video tutorial was produced to show technical staff and researchers how to handle mice using non-aversive methods. Stress: it’s everywhere – higher gas prices, longer work hours, deadlines. Generally, they also had higher levels of anxiety in an elevated plus maze. Contemp Top Lab Anim Sci. Nevertheless, mice (with strain differences) are usually not very aggressive and can be handled or restrained without major prob- … In addition to housing temperature, Makowska IJ et al investigated the segregation of nesting and elimination areas of housing cages and proposed to use a system with multiple cages to house mice [15]. Acclimatization should go beyond just leaving the mice on the shelf for 7-10 days before using them. 43: 42-51 [PMID: 15669134;"]). More gentle handlings reduced aversion and high anxiety and led to a voluntary approach, low anxiety, and acceptance of physical restraints. Common laboratory mouse strains are known to differ in their susceptibility to anxiety and neophobic responses. 1977;266:730-2. You may decline these cookies although certain areas of the site may not function without them. Please refer to our privacy policy for more information. Research has shown that picking up mice by the tail induces aversion and high anxiety levels, as assessed by a … In a paper published late last year in Nature Methods, Jane Hurst and Rebecca West at the University of Liverpool report that how mice are handled can affect their fear and anxiety responses (Hurst JL, West RS. 8th edition. The historic struggle against pathogens of laboratory rodents is often divided into three periods. In a study that evaluated this factor in laboratory mice, the authors reported that the laboratory rats consistently chose a familiar human over an unfamiliar human following fourteen and five 10-min exposures and even following a single 10-min exposure. PLoS ONE. Experimenter sex can, therefore, affect apparent baseline responses in behavioral testing. In a study where the responses of the three handling methods in male and female mice in different strains (BALB/c, C57BL/6 and ICR (CD-1)) were assessed, different anxiety and stress responses were observed. The Jackson Laboratory, Charles River Laboratories, Taconic Biosciences, and Harlan Laboratories are the main suppliers. Understanding proper laboratory behavior while handling mice. As Hurst and West point out, however, such handling methods may not be best if a strong anxiety response is required. Sci Rep. 2018;8:2448, Porsolt R, Le Pichon M, Jalfre M. Depression: a new animal model sensitive to antidepressant treatments. • Handling. These studies and others have helped increase the awareness for experimenter gender considerations, and in behavioral studies it is becoming more common to encounter a specific mention about the experimenter gender in the Materials and Methods section as in the following study under the Behavioral Experiment section: "Behavioral experiments were performed on 3- to 9-month-old male mice by a male experimenter, except for the Barnes maze, where a male experimenter performed intraperitoneal injections, and a female experimenter performed the experiments" [27]. SeqFold is a tool for RNA secondary structure prediction from experimental data. Course objectives include: Identifying proper handling techniques for the mouse. Familiarity increases consistency in animal tests. Playful handling by caretakers reduces the fear of humans in the laboratory rat. Instead, handling mice using a tunnel or cupped hands is advocated. 2) The aggressively handled mice were individually removed from their home cages, grasped at the proximal end of their tails, and suspended in the air approximately 15 cm from the surface of a biosafety cabinet for 90 seconds. For example, one of the most common inbred strains C57BL/6 shows greater anxiety when compared with the commonly used outbred ICR (CD-1) strain,. Thus, the familiarity of the test animals with their experimenters is anticipated to increase the reproducibility in the results with animal tests and should be taken into consideration when planning behavioral studies in animals. 2004. Human-based conditioning that was first described by Pavlov and by Gantt, Newton, Royer, and Stephens (1966), may also have important implications for animal research in a variety of settings. Davis H, Taylor AA, Norris C. Preference for familiar humans by rats. Minimize odors: Perfumes and other strong odors can reduce breeding performance and induce stress. Knowledge of the varied and unwanted effects of natural pathogens in laboratory rodents has steadily increased over the past 130 years of conducting animal research. Diabetes 33: 616-18 [PMID: 6376217]). A Muller et al listed several practices such as conducting no experiments on the day of cage change, injection and measurement habituation [16]. A short video demonstrating humane restraint techniques in laboratory mice. This review aims to introduce examples of animal handlings that are often overlooked, and increase the awareness in establishing consistent handling methods, especially in behavioral studies. Basic Mouse Handling and Rat Handling includes: Use of personal protective equipment, handling and restraint of rodents, giving injections, collecting blood, euthanasia techniques, plus any specific procedures needed for your laboratory protocol. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. Tuganbaev T, Mor U, Bashiardes S, Liwinski T, Nobs S, Leshem A. Badimon A, Strasburger H, Ayata P, Chen X, Nair A, Ikegami A. Adult mice are picked up by the tail base by compressing the base of the tail between the thumb and forefinger and gently placing the animal onto a solid surface. However, human bite wounds and skin scratches may become infected and must be treated through immediate c… 2010;7:825-6, Gouveia K, Hurst J. Significant differences between mice housing under 20–26 °C vs. 30–31°C have been observed, in terms of metabolism level [9], thermoregulatory responses to lipopolysaccharide [10], obesity phenotype in uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)-deficient mice [11], and immunity and tumor growth [12, 13]. For certain experiments, like those that assess mouse behavior, mice must first become accustomed to being handled by humans. A standardized tickling protocol has been published [18]. This method works well when the handler brings the tunnel towards the animal without direct contact. The administration of test substances, such as chemical ele-ments, compounds, drugs, antibodies, cells or other agents, to mice is one of the major methods for evalu-ating their biological activity. The researchers showed different advantages in using these new methods. Recent studies have identified that the standard practice of handling laboratory mice by their tails increases behaviours indicative of anxiety, which can be overcome by handling mice using a tunnel. Through this simple handling specificity, the mice could be transferred to another cage or a balance, and be examined for instance for sex determination, or lifted directly onto the cage wire lid for close examination with less anxiety. The 18-minute tutorial covers: The impact of handling on anxiety and stress in mice Handling techniques to improve welfare and reliability of mouse studies Best 2018;2018:2976014. Nature. The guidelines are based on extensive laboratory experience with the other hantaviruses -- particularly work involving the use of permissive host animal species -- and on the limited experience with a hantavirus recently isolated from deer mice. In conclusion, the importance of handling the mice can be summarized by the words of Professor Hurst: "The routine handling of laboratory animals is essential, so it is important that we do all we can to reduce any stress and anxiety [21] ". 1.2 Handling: how is it relevant and why is it important. The importance of laboratory mice in experimental microbiology and biomedical research is indisputable, and their care and handling is a contributing factor to the quality of the science resulting from their use. Minimize handling: Handle mice gently and as little as possible, especially when females are pregnant, close to delivering, or have new litters. To initially restrain a rat, the handler should gently grasp it around the shoulders. Thus, the thermal physiology of mice presents unique challenges to the biomedical researcher because changes in temperature can affect the interpretation and translation of data to humans. His lab members routinely clutch mice by the tail, even though they investigate the effect of stress on anxiety, depression and addiction. In conclusion, studies demonstrate the benefits of gentle handling of mice that undergo depression-based testing and indicate that a gentle handling technique is effective when interacting with mice prior to and during behavioral testing. After a nine-day habituation period in which mice were handled by the various methods for a total of 60 seconds per day, mice caught by the tail had the highest incidences of the most common anxiety indicators – urination and defecation. Rest the animal on one’s forearm to transport it short distances. These studies indicate that animal experiments could be altered and that it is important to … For certain experiments, like those that assess mouse behavior, mice must first become accustomed to being handled by humans. FEBS Lett. Sci Rep. 2020;10:8670. The competency level of the personnel who perform the procedures 4. The need to handle laboratory mice and rats regularly is unavoidable; it is necessary when moving them between home cages and testing areas, during experimental procedures and in routine care such as cage cleaning and supervision, making it an essential part of their lives (Bateson, 2014). OSVPR Phone: 814-863-9580. Sprague-Dawley and Wistar are the main rat strains. All laboratories should perform a site-specific and activity-specific risk assessment to identify and mitigate risks. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. Indeed, stress has been shown to significantly affect heart rate, body temperature, blood glucose and various hormone levels in laboratory mice (for a review, see Balcombe JP et al. Gloves are also a must when handling mice both in the vivarium and in the lab. Used to deliver personalized information and tailor communications. The responses were comparable in the light and dark phases of the diurnal cycle and were not dependent on the experience of the handler. 1984. We found that picking up mice by the tail induced aversion and high anxiety, whereas use of tunnels or open hand led to voluntary approach, low anxi … Handling of laboratory mice is essential for experiments and husbandry, but handling can increase anxiety in mice, compromising their welfare and … In general, the housing temperature for laboratory mice in research facilities is between 20–26 °C [6, 7] or 18–23 °C [8] ; while the thermoneutral ambient temperature for mice is 30–31°C. Used to analyze web traffic to improve the user experience. Picking up mice by the tail can compromise their welfare and affect scientific outcomes. Identifying the proper PPE that should be worn while working with mice. Identifying the proper PPE that should be worn while working with mice. Handling mice is an unavoidable part of an animal caretaker’s routine, and the stress this causes to laboratory mice is an often overlooked factor that may affect experimental outcomes. Normally urination and defecation are used as a parameter to measure anxiety or stress in mice. Nevertheless, this interesting study emphasizes that habituation can minimize handling stress in mice and that mice should be handled as consistently as possible to minimize stress and its effects on experimental variability. Habituation is the key. Pregnant mice, mice giving birth, wild-derived strains and mice with new litters should be handled as little as possible. Nature Meth. For example, in one study, exposure of mice and rats to male but not female experimenters produces pain inhibition [29]. The first method the authors described involves a cage tunnel that is normally present in all cages. The researchers assessed the responses of the three handling methods using both male and female mice since they can have different responses in anxiety and stress. evaluated the effect of tickling on responses to repeated intraperitoneal injections in laboratory rats and found tickling could mitigate the aversiveness of the procedure [20]. For this reason, animal handlers oversee the anxious response in mice that could affect the result of the experiments because these responses are often evaluated as normal. Therefore, training for proper handling of mice and rats is required to minimize these effects on animals. 2013;8:e66401, Clarkson J, Dwyer D, Flecknell P, Leach M, Rowe C. Handling method alters the hedonic value of reward in laboratory mice. Normally laboratory mice have to be ‘involved’ by means of professional handling/restraint in order to perform all procedures necessary during husbandry and/or experimentation. The Laboratory Mouse, Second Edition is a comprehensive book written by international experts. So, what can we do to limit the effects of stress on mice and experimental results? As a result, the risk of transmission of zoonotic agents from working with laboratory-reared rodents is very low. 2012;140:161-71. (If you have the required subscription, check out the supporting online movies at the Nature Methods website.) These studies indicate that animal experiments could be altered and that it is important to refine laboratory procedures and practices in order to ensure high standards of animal welfare and scientific data quality. Suggest that habituating mice to acclimate to their new environment for at least week... 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