Animal Welfare in Studies on Murine Tuberculosis: Assessing Progress over a 12-Year Period and the Need for Further Improvement

There is growing concern over the welfare of animals used in research, in particular when these animals develop pathology. The present study aims to identify the main sources of animal distress and to assess the possible implementation of refinement measures in experimental infection research, using mouse models of tuberculosis (TB) as a case study. This choice is based on the historical relevance of mouse studies in understanding the disease and the present and long-standing impact of TB on a global scale. Literature published between 1997 and 2009 was analysed, focusing on the welfare impact on the animals used and the implementation of refinement measures to reduce this impact. In this 12-year period, we observed a rise in reports of ethical approval of experiments. The proportion of studies classified into the most severe category did however not change significantly over the studied period. Information on important research parameters, such as method for euthanasia or sex of the animals, were absent in a substantial number of papers. Overall, this study shows that progress has been made in the application of humane endpoints in TB research, but that a considerable potential for improvement remains.

学界对实验用动物的福利状况愈发关注，尤其是当这些动物出现病理反应时。本研究以结核病（tuberculosis, TB）小鼠模型为案例，旨在明确实验动物痛苦的主要诱因，并评估实验感染研究中动物实验优化措施的可行实施方案。该案例选择的依据在于，小鼠相关研究在该疾病的认知历程中具有历史重要性，且结核病当前及长期以来在全球范围内均造成了重大公共卫生影响。本研究分析了1997年至2009年间发表的相关文献，重点关注实验动物的福利受影响情况，以及用于减轻该影响的动物实验优化措施的落实情况。在这12年的研究周期内，实验伦理审批相关的报道数量呈上升趋势，但被归类为最严苛实验类别的研究占比，在本研究的观测周期内并未发生显著变化。大量文献缺失了关键研究参数的相关信息，例如安乐死实施方式或实验动物的性别。总体而言，本研究表明，结核病研究领域在人道终点（humane endpoints）标准的应用方面已取得一定进展，但仍存在相当大的优化空间。