Why use rabbit in medical research?
The Humane
Society of the United States specified that rabbits are popular animals for
research and testing because:
Ø “rabbit
physiology is fairly similar to that of humans”.
Ø they are mild-tempered and
Ø easy to handle, keep, and
breed
So they are
used as models for many human diseases.
According to the USDA, in
the year 2002, the United States used 243,838 rabbits in research and testing;
6,324 of who were used in research that caused unrelieved pain and/or distress.
Rabbits are used in research o:
Ø the cardiovascular system,
Ø skin disorders,
Ø immune system,
Ø polyclonal antibody production for
use in vaccines.
Rabbits
are also used extensively in the study of:
Ø bronchial asthma,
Ø stroke prevention treatments,
Ø cystic fibrosis,
Ø diabetes and cancer.
Specific breeds of rabbit are used for
certain medical studies:
-
The Watanabe
rabbit normally develops coronary disease from abnormal fat deposits in the
arteries and organs. These rabbits are used in the study of arteriosclerosis, which can cause heart
attacks and strokes in humans.
Cosmetic Testing on Rabbits
Skin
and eye irritancy testing is frequently conducted on rabbits. In skin
irritancy tests, areas of the rabbit's skin are shaved of fur and, in some
cases, the shaved skin is abraded to remove several layers of skin cells. Then
a test substance is applied to the skin. Such substances include individual
chemicals or product formulations, such as cosmetics or household cleaning
products. For the duration of the test the rabbit is restrained or the area may
be covered to prevent licking, rubbing or other disturbances to the test area.
The test area is periodically examined to assess any skin damage or penetration
into the bloodstream and any resulting toxic effects. Phototoxicity and
photosensitization tests are similar to the skin irritancy test although the
test area is exposed to light to determine what affect this will have on
irritancy levels.
Rabbits
are used for eye irritancy experiments because each eye has only one tear duct
and test chemicals are not easily washed away. Their tear ducts are
"U" shaped, and domestic rabbits sometimes require veterinary
intervention if the duct becomes blocked. Since 1944 domestic rabbits have been
used in the eye irritancy test known as the Draize Test which scores eye
irritation from exposure to test chemicals. During the test, conscious,
immobilized rabbits have test chemicals placed directly into their eyes and are
left in this state up to several days to determine the irritancy level
indicated by redness, ulceration, hemorrhaging, cloudiness, or blindness in the
eyes.
A review
paper on research bioethics concluded that:
i)
“animal research has been, and can
potentially be, scientifically valid”
ii)
“it is possible to extrapolate from animal
models to humans”
Hence make it sensible to correlate the result to
human being.
As
compared to other mammals, along with local trend of keeping rabbit as domestic
pet:
i)
rabbit’s biological information
ii)
food supply
iii)
healthcare services
iv)
requirements
-
are reasonably accessible in Malaysia.
Why New Zealand White
Rabbits (NZWR) (Oryctolagus cuniculus)?
Compared to
other types of rabbit:
i)
females NZWR are more fertile and
prolific
ii)
bigger litter’s size
iii)
higher live birth.
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