Better Surgical Practice Improves Rodent Welfare

For studies and experiments, surgery sometimes has to be performed on mice. For example, a catheter might have to be fitted for easy blood sampling, or a transmitter to collect physiological data.

These procedures are usually performed by the researchers themselves. However, they often lack the knowledge, the basic surgical skills and the right equipment to carry out these interventions according to good practice. In Switzerland, there are no mandatory guidelines for performing such operations either. Although those who work with laboratory animals have to complete basic training, this does not cover surgery.

“In the field of rodent surgery, there is a great deal of optimization potential in terms of animal welfare,” says Petra Seebeck, veterinary surgeon specializing in laboratory animal medicine, head of Zurich Integrative Rodent Physiology (ZIRP), and currently president of the European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. “But I’m not here to name and shame. Most researchers didn’t study medicine and are therefore simply lacking the basic skills.”

Seebeck therefore advocates better training and the development of mandatory guidelines. She and her team were awarded this year’s UZH 3R Award for their work in this area, The project to improve surgical practice for rodent surgery was financed by the Swiss 3R Competence Center (3RCC). Stephan Zeiter from the AO Research Institute in Davos is also involved.

To determine exactly where there is a need for optimization, the project team conducted a survey of just under 800 European researchers who perform surgery on rodents in laboratory settings. This confirmed the suspicion that there are indeed significant gaps in knowledge: for example, in terms of sterile working – covering the surgical area, wearing sterile gloves, and sterilizing instruments. Researchers are often lacking tools and facilities such as autoclaves to sterilize equipment, and staff to assist with surgical procedures.

Seebeck warns against underestimating interventions on mice simply because they are small. If anything, such surgery is extremely challenging, as it involves sophisticated microsurgery, she says. In addition, mice are kept in very hygienic conditions in the lab. Their immune systems are therefore poorly developed, making them susceptible to infection. Mice also need especially meticulous care because of their small size, as their temperature can drop and they can lose fluids very quickly during surgery.

These are just some of the points addressed in the training sessions run by Seebeck and her team in recent years at UZH and other Swiss universities – some of which have also been funded by a grant from the Swiss 3R Competence Center. In the one-day course, participants learn about working in sterile conditions, proper use of instruments, and optimal preparation and care of animals. According to Seebeck, participants are often skeptical to start with. “But during the discussions, it soon becomes clear that there is a general desire to do things better.”

Seebeck and her team are calling for these kinds of training courses to become compulsory for those who wish to perform surgery on rodents. This would significantly improve animal welfare. Refinement is one of the 3R principles of humane animal experiments, along with replacement and reduction. The research team is also currently working on a set of guidelines for rodent surgery, which they hope will one day be mandatory.

Seebeck is aware that such improvements don’t happen overnight and that a certain shift in attitudes is needed. But she is confident that the quality of scientific research will ultimately also benefit: “If surgical procedures are optimized and standardized, there is less variation in the data and they are more reproducible.”

And finally, another piece of good news: at the annual meeting of the Swiss Laboratory Animal Science Association (SGV) on 27 November 2024, Petra Seebeck was presented with the Culture of Care (CoC) Award from the Swiss 3R Competence Center (3RCC) for her contributions to improving rodent surgery.