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About the care and treatment of animals
A protected environment — for scientists and laboratory animals alike. Strict rules and hygiene apply to modern animal care and management.
The management of laboratory animals in Sweden has undergone major changes during the past decade. Nearly all Swedish universities have developed large, centralised facilities that promote efficient supervision of the working environment and animal welfare.
Hygiene has become a key concept in modern management of laboratory animals. Large investments have been made to protect the health of humans and animals alike.
Regarding the staff, efforts have been made to prevent allergies, for instance by using better protective gear, improving facility ventilation, and avoiding load-related injuries, e.g. by using lifting and cleaning devices.
Considerable resources have been invested to improve the general welfare of laboratory animals. There is an important scientific reason for this — the less stressed the animal, the more reliable the research. Hence, it is important help the animals feel as good as possible in their confined environment, and that humans disturb them as little as possible during the day.
Infectious disease control has also been a focus in recent years, particularly in conjunction with the increased use of genetically modified (transgenic) mice in medical research. Collaboration involves transporting transgenic mice between different laboratories around the world, which increases the risk of spreading infection.
The spread of infection among animals can cause major problems for research groups since infections can lead to unreliable results. Infections also directly threaten the life of animals with an impaired immune defence.
Lars Magnus Bjursten, Chief of Biomedical Services at the Faculty of Medicine, LundUniversity, has followed the revolution in animal management at close range. Fifteen years ago the university had small departments and a few rooms for animals scattered across the campus. Today, however, all activities are consolidated in about 10 large facilities.
“When animals were managed by small groups it was possible for researchers or staff to take shortcuts when no one was there to watch over their shoulder. Now, when there are many people working together, they join in the development of control functions."
Lars Magnus Bjursten thinks that the laboratory animals at LundUniversity live a good life. The scientist´s goal is always to make sure that animals suffer as little as possible from the experiments they are subjected to.
“Laboratory animals clearly have better conditions than many of the animals living as pets today," he noted.
Text: Olle Bergman
Hygiene has become a key concept in modern management of laboratory animals. Large investments have been made to protect the health of humans and animals alike.
Less stress yields better results
Regarding the staff, efforts have been made to prevent allergies, for instance by using better protective gear, improving facility ventilation, and avoiding load-related injuries, e.g. by using lifting and cleaning devices.
Considerable resources have been invested to improve the general welfare of laboratory animals. There is an important scientific reason for this — the less stressed the animal, the more reliable the research. Hence, it is important help the animals feel as good as possible in their confined environment, and that humans disturb them as little as possible during the day.
Infectious disease control has also been a focus in recent years, particularly in conjunction with the increased use of genetically modified (transgenic) mice in medical research. Collaboration involves transporting transgenic mice between different laboratories around the world, which increases the risk of spreading infection.
The spread of infection among animals can cause major problems for research groups since infections can lead to unreliable results. Infections also directly threaten the life of animals with an impaired immune defence.
Internal control
Lars Magnus Bjursten, Chief of Biomedical Services at the Faculty of Medicine, LundUniversity, has followed the revolution in animal management at close range. Fifteen years ago the university had small departments and a few rooms for animals scattered across the campus. Today, however, all activities are consolidated in about 10 large facilities.
“When animals were managed by small groups it was possible for researchers or staff to take shortcuts when no one was there to watch over their shoulder. Now, when there are many people working together, they join in the development of control functions."
Lars Magnus Bjursten thinks that the laboratory animals at LundUniversity live a good life. The scientist´s goal is always to make sure that animals suffer as little as possible from the experiments they are subjected to.
“Laboratory animals clearly have better conditions than many of the animals living as pets today," he noted.
Text: Olle Bergman
Responsible for content: Mats Ulfendahl, Secretary General of Medicine and health, Swedish Research Council.
Editor: Peter Tillhammar, Swedish Research Council. Contact: Send email to the editorial staff.
Editor: Peter Tillhammar, Swedish Research Council. Contact: Send email to the editorial staff.
