This is the January episode of 3-Minute 3Rs, brought to you by the North American 3Rs Collaborative (www.na3rsc.org, the NC3Rs (www.nc3rs.org.uk), and Lab Animal (www.nature.com/laban)

The papers behind the pod:
1. An Atypical Parvovirus Drives Chronic Tubulointerstitial Nephropathy and Kidney Fibrosis  https://bit.ly/2FA6dPA
2. Remote Welfare Monitoring of Rodents Using Thermal Imaging https://bit.ly/2suGlgm
3. No experimental evidence of stress-induced hyperthermia in zebrafish (Danio rerio)https://bit.ly/2Db8m2P

[NA3RsC] Chronic kidney disease results from fibrosis of the kidney parenchyma due to a variety of inciting factors. Existing models of tubulointerstitial nephropathy and fibrosis involves administration of nephrotoxic compounds or surgical interventions, but these models often fail to recapitulate the chronic, insidious nature of fibrotic disease. In a recent publication from the October 4, 2018 issue of Cell, Ben Roediger and his colleagues at the University of Sidney Australia observed a high incidence of kidney disease in 3 separate colonies of immunodeficient mice; disease was characterized by enlarged nuclei in tubular epithelial cells in addition to intranuclear inclusions and marginated chromatin. RNA sequencing identified a complete novel viral genome that was given the name ‘mouse kidney parvovirus.’ Resulting pathology included extensive fibrotic changes to the kidneys with significantly reduced renal mass. Virus was absent in mouse colonies free of kidney disease, transmissible following co-housing and infected mice exhibited similar transcriptional changes to humans with fibrotic disease. Ultimately, mouse kidney parvovirus may represent a new tool for understanding viral nephropathy as well as the fibrotic processes and pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease.

[NC3RS] To assess the well-being of an animal, it is useful to be able to continuously monitor their vital signs, such as heart rate and breathing rate, and the amount they move. Vital signs can be assessed by implanting a telemetry sensor or using electrocardiography. However, these methods can lead to unnecessary discomfort and stress for the animal and can compromise their welfare. A recent study by Pereira et al. addresses these issues by using thermal imaging to monitor animal welfare. Thermal imaging is a remote and passive monitoring technique that can continuously record the heat emitted from the animal’s body. Using this technology, the researchers were able to remotely monitor breathing rate of anaesthetised rats and mice, and the position and velocity of active rodents during open field tests. This promising technique has the potential to refine current monitoring practice and improve animal welfare. Follow the link in the description to find out more.

[LA] When endothermic animals, like ourselves or our laboratory mammals, get stressed, we often get hot. Literally. But not all animals control their internal body temperature. A 2015 paper published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B indicated that zebrafish stressed out from temporary confinement will deliberately move to a warmer area of their tank in order to raise their body temperature. This suggests that they too exhibit stress-induced hyperthermia. But questions have lingered about whether the fish were actively seeking heat or rather, just moving away from the chamber where they had been confined. Writing in the Journal of Experimental Biology, researchers from the University of St. Andrews repeated that experiment, but included control tanks without a temperature gradient. They saw no discernible effect. They also developed a second tank set up - in that case, stressed fish actually spent a little less time in warmer water. Don’t neglect zebrafish stress, the authors stress, but their results suggest that the fish don’t experience stress-induced hyperthermia in the same as other animals.

3 Minute 3Rs January 2019

Behind the scenes with the authors and experts shaping in vivo science, technology and policy

3 Minute 3Rs January 2019

LabAnimal