Origins of US Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training.

The US Government Principles for the use of animals in research are a landmark statement of ethical values and guidance for the biomedical research community. However, when The Principles were introduced, a context was not provided for their source or foundation. The US Government Principles were formulated with input from the Council of Europe, World Health Organization, and US Interagency Research Animal Committee.

Fit for Purpose Assessment: A New Direction for IACUCs.

The organization and function of the institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) is the key component of government regulation and oversight of necessary scientific research using live animals and of AAALAC - International accreditation of animal care and use programs in the United States. The regulations, roles, and responsibilities of IACUCs have evolved since their inception 35 years ago from a limited focus on animal welfare and specific animal procedures to embracing scientific quality, data reproducibility and translation, and animal welfare as inextricably interdependent and critical components of generation of new scientific knowledge and medical treatments. A current challenge for IACUCs is in evaluating whether benefits to be derived (eg, new knowledge or treatments) justify any unavoidable pain, stress, or injury associated with proposed research protocols, because the former are long-term and at best speculative outcomes, whereas the latter are immediate and tangible for the study animals.

Pathogenic, but Not Nonpathogenic, spp. Evade Inflammasome-Dependent IL-1 Responses To Establish an Intracytosolic Replication Niche.

species (spp.) are strict obligate intracellular bacteria, some of which are pathogenic in their mammalian host, including humans. One critical feature of these stealthy group of pathogens is their ability to manipulate hostile cytosolic environments to their benefits.

Immunogenicity and Efficacy of Live-Attenuated Typhimurium Vaccine Candidate CVD 1926 in a Rhesus Macaque Model of Gastroenteritis.

Salmonella Typhimurium is a common cause of foodborne gastroenteritis and a less frequent but important cause of invasive disease, especially in developing countries. In our previous work, we showed that a live-attenuated S. Typhimurium vaccine (CVD 1921) was safe and immunogenic in rhesus macaques, although shed for an unacceptably long period (10 days) postimmunization.

The Evaluation of the Containment Efficacy of Semi-Rigid Isolators for Housing Cages of Laboratory Animals Infected With BSL-3 Agents.

Research animals models infected with Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) agents need to be housed in specialized biocontainment caging. Most of these specialized cages have input and exhaust that is high efficiency particulate air filtered and sealed to prevent escape of the BSL-3 agent. An alternative to the use of the above BSL-3 biocontainment caging is the use of a flexible film or modified semi-rigid plastic film isolator that has its own high efficiency particulate air-filtered input and exhaust and is sealed with respect to the animal room environment, thus preventing BSL-3 agent escape.