Animal Testing in Infectiology (PDF)

Animal testing has a long history, and the resulting knowledge has brought about a significant contribution to the improvement of health and welfare of mankind and animals. Federal regulations concerning the performance of animal testing have become more restrictive worldwide over the last few decades, thus ensuring that only significant tests with a minimum of animal suffering are carried out. Apart from fundamental in vitro studies and clinical trials, animal testing is still indispensable for research on infectious diseases. It offers the opportunity to study the parasitic forms of infectious agents in a complex infection process including the assessment of specific host-defense mechanisms. Another important setting is the in vivo evaluation of substances in infection models for the development of new anti-infective agents. The aim of this book is to provide a comprehensive overview of animal testing in the four major fields of infectiology - bacteriology, virology, mycology and parasitology - as well as in the development of vaccines. New and innovative techniques are introduced and their efficacies critically discussed. In addition, the book shows ways to refine, reduce and replace animal tests in infectiological research and considers ethical aspects of their use. A valuable source of information, this publication will be of interest to research scientists, regulatory agencies, veterinarians supervising experimental animals, breeders and anyone involved in the public debate on animal testing.