Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Resource
  • Published:

Management of unanticipated outcomes in transgenic mouse facilities

Lab Animal volume 35, pages 27–30 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Experimental manipulations of rodents may result in unexpected adverse phenotypes that present problems from both regulatory and animal care–veterinary perspectives. The authors discuss the implications of unanticipated outcomes and describe a cage card–based tracking system used at the Harvard Medical School for the early detection and handling of unanticipated phenotypes in genetically altered rodents.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: The Experimental Illness Report form is a yellow, duplicate-copy, sequentially numbered slip that researchers use to identify an animal that has abnormalities or an illness due to a phenotype or induction of illness for experimental procedures (e.g., tumor studies, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis).
Figure 2: Research staff posts the original copy of the Experimental Illness Report on the outside of the animal room door to alert animal care and veterinary staff of animals experiencing health issues inside the room.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Floyd, E. in Microbial Status and Genetic Evaluation of Mice and Rats 116–118 (National Research Council, Washington, DC, 2000).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Dennis, M.B. Humane endpoints for genetically engineered animal models. ILAR J. 41(2), 94–98 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. National Institutes of Health. NIH Guidelines: Recombinant DNA and Gene Transfer. Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules. http://www4.od.nih.gov/oba/rac/guidelines/guidelines.html.

  4. Dennis, M.B. in Genetic Engineering and Animal Welfare: Preparing for the 21st Century (eds. Gonder, J.C., Prentice, E.D. & Russow, L.) 20–31 (Scientists Center for Animal Welfare, Bethesda, MD, 1999).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Dennis, M.B. Welfare issues of genetically modified animals. ILAR J. 43(2), 100–109 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Young, J. IACUC Issues Relevant to Managing Tg/KO Animals: A Veterinarian's Perspective. Proceedings of 2005 Annual IACUC Conference at the PRIM&R/ARENA Meeting, San Diego, CA, March 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Hampshire, V. Definition of Pain and Distress and Reporting Requirements for Laboratory Animals 77–81 (National Research Council, Washington, DC, 2000).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Drs. David Lee-Parritz and Angeline Warner participated in the creation of the rodent cage-based records system. Technical assistance was provided by Lori Jasinski, LATG.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Covance Research Products, Inc., PO Box 7200, Denver, 17517, PA

    Stacy Pritt

  2. Center for Animal Resources and Comparative Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 665 Huntington Ave., Boston, 02115, MA

    Kerri Cozine &  Henry Warren

Authors
  1. Stacy Pritt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kerri Cozine
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Henry Warren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stacy Pritt.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pritt, S., Cozine, K. & Warren, H. Management of unanticipated outcomes in transgenic mouse facilities. Lab Anim 35, 27–30 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0406-27

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0406-27

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing