Training als angewandtes Refinement bei der Blutentnahme beim Minipig

Beschreibung

Training as an applied refinement measure for blood collection from minipigs The present study examines the extent to which training through positive reinforcement in the minipig enables blood collection without fixation by the maxillary sling and leads to stress reduction. When planning and carrying out animal experiments, it is our duty to always try to keep the stress on the animals to an undispensible minimum. This meets the requirements of the 3R principle, which is anchored in EU Directive 63/2010/EU and in the Animal Welfare Act. This also includes constantly questioning methods, even if they have been established or common for years, and refining and improving these methods in order to minimize stress and strain on the animals. The present work examines the method of blood collection with fixation in a maxillary sling for its stressfulness for minipigs and the results show that the stress experienced by the animals can be significantly reduced through training and positive reinforcement. In addition, the results also show that the puncture with the cannula in the neck itself does not cause any significant stress to the minipig and that the stress during blood collection is primarily caused by the fixation with the maxillary sling. Both the salivary cortisol concentration and the heart rate, which serve as stress parameters, are significantly lower in the minipigs when blood is taken after training than before training. Training represents cognitive enrichment and refinement for the minipigs. The use of the trained blood sampling is particularly useful and conceivable in laboratory animal facilities with minipigs that are used in one or more experiments over a long period of time and in which repeated blood sampling takes place as an evidence-based refinement to reduce animal stress. The endogenous pentapeptide opiorphine can be detected in the saliva of minipigs, but no reproducible values can be determined with the ELISA used. Further establishment studies to improve specificity are necessary here. The Grimace Scale turned out to be generally suitable for assessing stress in minipigs, but the Grimace Scale should still be refined in terms of clearer differences in the characteristic values for greater agreement between the raters. In addition, the method can be refined and optimized, for example, by prior training of the evaluators. In summary, the training of minipigs turned out to be a suitable method for blood sampling and stress reduction compared to the maxillary sling. It is not only employment, but also cognitive enrichment for the minipigs and a suitable refinement measure. The results of this study can be seen as an incentive to make taking blood from the minipig or pig less stressful, also with regard to the fixation - for example by getting used to the maxillary sling or by padding the sling. There is potential for further studies here.

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Delia Laura Fiderer

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Tierschutz blood samples Minipigs miniature pigs stress stress factors veterinary practice fixation Stressfaktoren Fixierung animal experiments Blutproben animal welfare Tierversuche training of animals

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