Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals [CPCSEA]

A number of animals are used in this country for conducting a variety of experiments. There has been a long felt need to prescribe guidelines and procedures for animal experimentation covering all aspects. It is expected that pharmacy professionals and buddies especially who are concerned with animal studies will use this information as the baseline to follow procedures in their experiments.

 Goals:

   To promote the human care of animals used in research.

   To provide specifications that will enhance animals well being and quality of research.

 Veterinary care:

Adequate veterinary care must be provided by a veterinarian. Daily observation of animals, direct and frequent communication should be adopted so that timely information on problems in animal health, behavior and well being is conveyed.

 Quarantine, Stabilization and Separation:

            Quarantine is the separation of newly received animals from those already in the facility until the health and microbial status of the newly received animals have been determined.

            The duration of quarantine in small lab animals is one week to one month and large animals allowed up to 6 weeks (cats, dogs and monkeys)

            Newly received animals should be given a period for physiologic, psychological and nutritional stabilization before their use. The length of stabilization will depend on the type and duration of animal transportation, animal species.

            Physical separation of animals by species is recommended to prevent interspecies disease transmission, to eliminate anxiety and behavioral changes due to inter species conflict. Such separation is usually accomplished by housing different species in separate rooms

 Surveillance, Diagnosis, Treatment and Control of disease:

            All animals should be observed for signs of illness, injury or abnormal behavior by animal house staff. Animals that show signs of a contagious disease should be isolated from healthy animals in colony, the groups should be kept intact and isolated during the process of diagnosis, treatment and control.

 Personal hygiene:

It is essential that the animal care staff maintain a high standard of personal cleanliness. Facilities and supplies should be provided with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), like shavers, change of uniforms, foot wear etc. It is acceptable to use disposable groves, masks, head covers, coats and shoes covers. Personnel should not be permitted to eat, drink, smoke or apply cosmetics in animal rooms.

 Location of animal facilities to laboratories:

            Good animal husbandry requires physical separation of animal facilities from areas such as offices, education and training rooms.

   Lab animals are very sensitive to their living conditions and should not be exposed to dust, smoke, noise, wild rodents, insects and birds.

   Cages and environment of animal rooms affect the quality of animals.

   The animal room should occupy about 50-60% of the total constructed area. The environment of animals room (macro environment) and animal cage (micro environment) are factors on which the production and experimental officiency of the animal depends.

   Sharp fluctuations in temperature, humidity, light, sound and ventilation should be avoided.

Anaesthesia:

            It must be ensured that the anaesthesia is given for the full duration of experiment and at no stage the animal is conscious to perceive pain during the procedure.

             The animal should be humanely sacrificed.

Neuromuscular blocking agents must not be used without adequate general anaesthesia.

            Before using actual anaesthetizes the animals are prepared for anaesthesia by overnight fasting and using pre anaesthetic, which block para sympathetic stimulation of cardio pulmonary system and reduces salivary secretion.

A number of general anaesthetic agents are used in the form of inhalants as IV or IM injections.

 Euthanasia:

            Euthanasia is reported to events where an animal is required to be sacrificed or termination of an experiment or otherwise for ethical reasons. The procedure should be carried out quickly and painlessly in an atmosphere free from fear or anxiety. For accepting an euthanasia methods as humane it should have an initial depressive action on the CNS for immediate insensitivity to pain.

            The method should meet the following requirements:

                                                              i.      Death, without causing anxiety, pain with minimum log phase.

                                                            ii.      Minimun physiological and psychological disturbance.

                                                          iii.      Compatibility with the purpose of study and minimum emotional effects on the operator.

                                                          iv.      Location should be separate from animal rooms free from environmental contaminants.

 Animal ethics:

            All scientists working with lab must have a deep ethical consideration for the animals they are dealing with.

Continuition in Part-2...
For Part-2 visit: http://www.pharmainfo.net/rojarani/cpcsea-guidelines-laboratory-animal-f...