Rodent Quality Control: Genes and Bugs : Monitoring Health and Genetics of Laboratory Animals

This book shows how and why quality assurance programmes should be implemented in laboratory rodent facilities to monitor animal health and genetic status. It covers common practice to assure the desired level of microbiological and genetic surveillance of both genetically standardized and genetically altered laboratory mice and rats. In particular, the book introduces readers to the standardized genetic nomenclature and provides step-by-step protocols for genetic monitoring of the animals. International standards of health monitoring programs are discussed and statistical aspects thereof are explored. Furthermore, the book reviews common infectious diseases in laboratory rodents and guides the reader in monitoring the animals’ health status through application of current diagnostic methods.  

This book adresses researchers, technicians and zookeepers working in laboratory rodent facilities.

Dr. Fernando Benavides is Professor and Director of the Laboratory Animal Genetic Services at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Dr. Benavides received a DVM and a PhD in Genetics from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. His PhD training on Mouse Genetics was done at Institut Pasteur, Paris, France. Dr. Benavides is a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) since 2003 and he serves as IACUC veterinarian for the MD Anderson Cancer Center since 2006. Dr. Benavides has a strong background in positional cloning of spontaneous mutations and has described several new mouse models. He has published 70 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals, several books, chapters and reviews on Mouse Genetics and Genetic Quality Controls in mice and rats.

Dr. Axel Kornerup Hansen graduated in 1985 as DVM from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen, Denmark. After two years in a small animal hospital, he became head of laboratories at Møllegaard Breeding Center, today part of Taconic Ltd. In 1993 he became associate director at the Department of Experimental Medicine at the Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. In 1996 he was awarded the degree of Dr. Vet. Sci. based upon his thesis on the impact of bacteria in laboratory rats. From 1997 he has been professor in laboratory animal science and welfare at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, which in 2007 became a part of University of Copenhagen. In 2000 Dr. Hansen was made charter diplomat and was together with six others founding the European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. His research area has primarily been on how infections and the microbiota have an impact on laboratory animal models for human diseases and how this works in conjunction with the diet, but he has also published work on laboratory animal welfare. Dr. Hansen has published 223 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals, 20 proceedings papers, 17 papers in non-peer journals, and two full textbooks, i.e. ‘The Laboratory Swine’ and ‘Handbook of Laboratory Animal Bacteriology’ from CRC Press. He is chairing the board of the Danish National Centre for the 3Rs.