Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations recommendations of best practices for the health management of ruminants and pigs used for scientific and educational purposes

Abstract

Most ruminants and pigs used for scientific and educational aims are bred not for these purposes but in a farm environment. Given the wide range of diseases that these species might have, ensuring that the animals’ health status is appropriate can be complex and challenging. The Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations has previously published recommendations for the health monitoring of experimental colonies of pigs (1998) and, respectively, calves, sheep and goats (2000). Unfortunately, the uptake of those recommendations was poor and insufficiently reported in scientific publications. These new recommendations for best practice focus on the main species of ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) and pigs. They provide general and specific information helpful for designing a health management programme for the suppliers and for the user establishments, as well as guidance on animal procurement. Critical thinking based on the fields of use of the animals is promoted, aiming to help in taking informed decisions rather than establishing an exhaustive exclusion list for pathogens. Implementing the best health and welfare management practices should be done under the guidance of a competent attending veterinarian, with expertise and sufficient authority to take the appropriate action, doubled by excellent communication skills. It is strongly recommended that the user establishment’s veterinarian works in close collaboration with the supplier’s veterinarian.

Large Farm Animals Used for Research Purposes: A Survey on Purchase, Housing and Hygiene Management

“…Contrary to small laboratory animals, such as mice and rats, neither pigs nor ruminants are listed in Annex I, as these species can be obtained from other sources. In accordance with the FELASA farm animal working group [ 13 ], our results confirm that FAs are predominantly purchased from livestock production. In pigs and small ruminants, most participants prefer to obtain the animals from one specific farm or breeder, which also confirms the results from the FELASA working group [ 14 ].…”

“…However, based on the long-lasting experience of the experts of the LaNiV network, and as indicated in the literature when our survey was prepared, it seems that the present recommendations for farm animals established by Rehbinder et al between 1998 and 2000 [ 16 , 23 ] have not been widely applied thus far. A revision of the then-existing recommendations was only published after our survey was conducted in 2020 [ 13 , 14 ].…”

“…In contrast to small laboratory animals, FAs are usually obtained directly from livestock production [ 13 ], resulting in remarkable heterogeneity with respect to genetic background, microbiological load and hygienic status and, consequently, animal health [ 4 ]. Comparable and widely used standardized guidelines for health and hygienic standards have been lacking in recent years [ 13 , 14 ]. These factors may adversely affect animal welfare and, therefore, the scientific outcome.…”

Survey on Sheep Usage in Biomedical Research

“…Unfortunately, in the 21st century, despite guidelines and recommendations from experts [3,[7][8][9], there are still no reports of the implementation of this harmonized definition in terms of health monitoring for sheep used for research purposes. The recently published recommendations of best practices for the health management of ruminants and pigs used for scientific and educational purposes of the FELASAmight be a first step in establishing best health and welfare management practices (i.e., refinement) at institutions [10].…”

Health Monitoring of Laboratory Rodent Colonies—Talking about (R)evolution

“…The Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA) has published a number of recommendations for the health monitoring of animals used for scientific purpose. Those recommendations are regularly updated and available for different species, including rodents, guinea pigs and rabbits [ 17 ], ruminants and pigs [ 141 ] and non-human primates [ 142 ]. The first publication for rodents was released in 1994 [ 15 ] with the primary intention of harmonizing the health monitoring procedures between animal facilities, especially to facilitate the exchange of animals between cooperating researchers.…”