No Such Thing As A Humane Animal Experiment

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (USA)

News Release
Thursday, November 18th 2004
http://www.pcrm.org/news/release041118.html

WASHINGTON - Mice, rabbits, rats, beagles, geese and other animals
all show measurable physiological stress responses to routine
laboratory procedures that have been up to now viewed as relatively
benign.
The findings come in a new report published in Contemporary Topics in
Laboratory Animals Science, based on an extensive review of the
scientific literature by ethologist Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D., of
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). For example, a
mouse who is picked up and briefly held experiences several
physiological reactions. As stress-response hormones flood the
bloodstream, the mouse exhibits a racing pulse and a spike in blood
pressure. These symptoms can persist for up to an hour after each
event. Immune response is also affected. In rats and mice, the growth
of tumors is strongly influenced by how much the animals are handled.
Dr. Balcombe's paper will appear in the Journal's Autumn 2004 issue,
expected in late November.

Until now, humane concerns focused mainly on the experiments
themselves. The new findings suggest that routine procedures, such as
blood draws and use of stomach tubes, are terrifying for animals. "In
essence, there is no such thing as a humane animal experiment," says
Dr. Balcombe. "Fear or panic ensues when the animal is touched or
stuck with a needle."

The paper, a review of 80 previously published studies, it
titled, "Laboratory Routines Cause Animals Stress," and focuses on
three routine procedures: handling, blood collection and force-
feeding. Independent of the invasive experiments themselves, these
daily routines can cause an animal to experience elevated bloodstream
concentrations of corticosterone, prolactin, glucose and epinephrine,
all indicators of stress. Impaired immune response has also been
recorded in animals after anxiety-producing contact with lab
personnel.

"Research on tumor development, immune function, endocrine and
cardiovascular disorders, neoplasams, developmental defects and
psychological phenomena are particularly vulnerable to data being
contaminated by animals `stress effects', notes Dr. Balcombe.

Dr. Balcombe's study follows closely a recent paper in the British
Medical Journal, titled "Where Is the Evidence that Animal Research
Benefits Humans?" The authors found that in many cases trials on
humans were conducted concurrently with the animal studies and in
other instances, clinical trials went ahead despite evidence of harm
from the animal studies.

This article was printed in Mobilise! No.62, November 2004
Newsletter for The New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society Incorporated.
http://www.nzavs.org.nz
Email: phil@...