The Göttingen minipig is gaining increasing popularity as a nonrodent species in nonclinical testing. The Göttingen minipig is easy to handle; has many anatomical and physiological similarities to man; and causes fewer ethical concerns than usage of the traditional nonrodent species, nonhuman primates, and dogs. The increasing usage of the Göttingen minipig has raised the need of appropriate background data. This article summarizes the background pathology of 835 untreated control Göttingen minipigs of both sexes used at CiToxLAB Scantox A/S during the period of 1995 to 2007.

The INHAND (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions) Project ( www.toxpath.org/inhand.asp ) is a joint initiative of the Societies of Toxicologic Pathology from Europe (ESTP), Great Britain (BSTP), Japan (JSTP), and North America (STP) to develop an internationally accepted nomenclature for proliferative and nonproliferative lesions in laboratory animals. The purpose of this publication is to provide a standardized nomenclature for classifying microscopic lesions observed in most tissues and organs from the minipig used in nonclinical safety studies. Some of the lesions are illustrated by color photomicrographs. The standardized nomenclature presented in this document is also available electronically on the internet ( http://www.goreni.org/ ). Sources of material included histopathology databases from government, academia, and industrial laboratories throughout the world. Content includes spontaneous lesions as well as lesions induced by exposure to test materials. Relevant infectious and parasitic lesions are included as well. A widely accepted and utilized international harmonization of nomenclature for lesions in laboratory animals will provide a common language among regulatory and scientific research organizations in different countries and increase and enrich international exchanges of information among toxicologists and pathologists.