Since January 2020 Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource centre with
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remains active.
, CHAPTER
Commonly Used Animal
Models
D.L. Hickman1, J. Johnson2, T.H. Vemulapalli3, J.R. Crisler1, R. Shepherd4
7
Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States1; The University of the West Indies, Trinidad,
West Indies2; Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States3; Indiana University,
Bloomington, IN, United States4
CHAPTER OUTLINE
7.1 The Mouse....................................................................................................... 118
7.1.1 Introduction................................................................................... 118
7.1.2 Uses in Research ........................................................................... 118
7.1.3 Normative Biology .......................................................................... 119
7.1.4 Reproductive Physiology ................................................................. 121
7.1.5 Mouse Behavior.............................................................................. 122
7.1.6 Housing and Handling .................................................................... 124
7.1.7 Diseases ........................................................................................ 127
7.2 The Rat............................................................................................................ 127
7.2.1 Introduction................................................................................... 127
7.2.2 Uses in Research ........................................................................... 131
7.2.3 Normative Biology .......................................................................... 132
7.2.4 Reproductive Biology ...................................................................... 132
7.2.5 Normal Behavior ............................................................................ 134
7.2.6 Housing......................................................................................... 134
7.2.7 Diseases ........................................................................................ 136
7.3 The Rabbit ....................................................................................................... 136
7.3.1 Introduction................................................................................... 136
7.3.2 Uses in Research ........................................................................... 136
7.3.3 Normative Biology .......................................................................... 139
7.3.4 Reproductive Biology ...................................................................... 141
7.3.5 Behavior ........................................................................................ 142
7.3.6 Housing and Management............................................................... 144
7.3.7 Diseases ........................................................................................ 144
7.4 Zebrafish ......................................................................................................... 145
7.4.1 Introduction................................................................................... 145
7.4.2 Uses in Research ........................................................................... 147
7.4.3 Biology .......................................................................................... 147
Principles of Animal Research for Graduate and Undergraduate Students. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-802151-4.00007-4 117
Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
,118 CHAPTER 7 Commonly Used Animal Models
7.4.4 Housing and Management............................................................... 148
7.4.5 Diseases ........................................................................................ 149
7.5 Amphibians and Reptiles .................................................................................. 149
7.5.1 Introduction................................................................................... 149
7.5.2 Uses in Research ........................................................................... 150
7.5.3 Biology .......................................................................................... 151
7.5.4 Behavior ........................................................................................ 152
7.5.5 Housing and Management............................................................... 152
7.5.6 Diseases ........................................................................................ 154
7.6 Birds ............................................................................................................... 154
7.6.1 Introduction................................................................................... 154
7.6.2 Uses in Research ........................................................................... 154
7.6.3 Biology .......................................................................................... 156
7.6.4 Behavior and Housing ..................................................................... 157
7.6.5 Diseases ........................................................................................ 158
7.7 Other Small Mammals....................................................................................... 159
7.7.1 Guinea Pigs ................................................................................... 159
7.7.2 Hamsters....................................................................................... 160
7.7.3 Chinchillas .................................................................................... 161
7.7.4 Gerbils .......................................................................................... 163
7.7.5 Armadillo....................................................................................... 163
7.8 Summary ......................................................................................................... 164
References ............................................................................................................. 164
7.1 THE MOUSE
7.1.1 INTRODUCTION
The mouse is a small mammal that belongs to the order Rodentia (Fig. 7.1). The
house mouse of North America and Europe, Mus musculus, is the species most
commonly used for biomedical research. It is likely that the mouse originated in Eur-
asia and utilized its commensal relationship with humans to spread through to other
continents as humans explored and colonized. Mouse fanciers around the turn of the
20th century are the source of the majority of the laboratory mice that are in use
today. A summary of the overarching categories of mouse models that are available
is presented in Table 7.1.
7.1.2 USES IN RESEARCH
Mice and rats make up approximately 95% of all laboratory animals, with mice the
most commonly used animal in biomedical research. Mice are a commonly selected
animal model for a variety of reasons, including small size (facilitating housing and
maintenance); short reproductive cycle and lifespan; generally mild-tempered
and docile; wealth of information regarding their anatomy, genetics, biology, and
, 7.1 The Mouse 119
physiology; and the possibility for breeding genetically manipulated mice and mice
that have spontaneous mutations.
Mice have been used as research subjects for studies ranging from biology to
psychology to engineering. They are used to model human diseases for the purpose
of finding treatments or cures. Some of the diseases they model include: hyperten-
sion, diabetes, cataracts, obesity, seizures, respiratory problems, deafness, Parkin-
son’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, various cancers, cystic fibrosis, and acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), heart disease, muscular dystrophy, and spinal
cord injuries. Mice are also used in behavioral, sensory, aging, nutrition, and genetic
studies. This list is in no way complete as geneticists, biologists, and other scientists
are rapidly finding new uses for the domestic mouse in research.
7.1.3 NORMATIVE BIOLOGY
Mice are mammals and their organ systems are very similar to organ systems in
humans in terms of shape, structure, and physiology. Basic physiologic data are pre-
sented in Table 7.2.
FIGURE 7.1
Laboratory Mouse.
Photo used with permission of American Association for Laboratory Animal Science.
free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID-
19. The COVID-19 resource centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the
company's public news and information website.
Elsevier hereby grants permission to make all its COVID-19-related
research that is available on the COVID-19 resource centre - including this
research content - immediately available in PubMed Central and other
publicly funded repositories, such as the WHO COVID database with rights
for unrestricted research re-use and analyses in any form or by any means
with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are
granted for free by Elsevier for as long as the COVID-19 resource centre
remains active.
, CHAPTER
Commonly Used Animal
Models
D.L. Hickman1, J. Johnson2, T.H. Vemulapalli3, J.R. Crisler1, R. Shepherd4
7
Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States1; The University of the West Indies, Trinidad,
West Indies2; Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States3; Indiana University,
Bloomington, IN, United States4
CHAPTER OUTLINE
7.1 The Mouse....................................................................................................... 118
7.1.1 Introduction................................................................................... 118
7.1.2 Uses in Research ........................................................................... 118
7.1.3 Normative Biology .......................................................................... 119
7.1.4 Reproductive Physiology ................................................................. 121
7.1.5 Mouse Behavior.............................................................................. 122
7.1.6 Housing and Handling .................................................................... 124
7.1.7 Diseases ........................................................................................ 127
7.2 The Rat............................................................................................................ 127
7.2.1 Introduction................................................................................... 127
7.2.2 Uses in Research ........................................................................... 131
7.2.3 Normative Biology .......................................................................... 132
7.2.4 Reproductive Biology ...................................................................... 132
7.2.5 Normal Behavior ............................................................................ 134
7.2.6 Housing......................................................................................... 134
7.2.7 Diseases ........................................................................................ 136
7.3 The Rabbit ....................................................................................................... 136
7.3.1 Introduction................................................................................... 136
7.3.2 Uses in Research ........................................................................... 136
7.3.3 Normative Biology .......................................................................... 139
7.3.4 Reproductive Biology ...................................................................... 141
7.3.5 Behavior ........................................................................................ 142
7.3.6 Housing and Management............................................................... 144
7.3.7 Diseases ........................................................................................ 144
7.4 Zebrafish ......................................................................................................... 145
7.4.1 Introduction................................................................................... 145
7.4.2 Uses in Research ........................................................................... 147
7.4.3 Biology .......................................................................................... 147
Principles of Animal Research for Graduate and Undergraduate Students. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-802151-4.00007-4 117
Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
,118 CHAPTER 7 Commonly Used Animal Models
7.4.4 Housing and Management............................................................... 148
7.4.5 Diseases ........................................................................................ 149
7.5 Amphibians and Reptiles .................................................................................. 149
7.5.1 Introduction................................................................................... 149
7.5.2 Uses in Research ........................................................................... 150
7.5.3 Biology .......................................................................................... 151
7.5.4 Behavior ........................................................................................ 152
7.5.5 Housing and Management............................................................... 152
7.5.6 Diseases ........................................................................................ 154
7.6 Birds ............................................................................................................... 154
7.6.1 Introduction................................................................................... 154
7.6.2 Uses in Research ........................................................................... 154
7.6.3 Biology .......................................................................................... 156
7.6.4 Behavior and Housing ..................................................................... 157
7.6.5 Diseases ........................................................................................ 158
7.7 Other Small Mammals....................................................................................... 159
7.7.1 Guinea Pigs ................................................................................... 159
7.7.2 Hamsters....................................................................................... 160
7.7.3 Chinchillas .................................................................................... 161
7.7.4 Gerbils .......................................................................................... 163
7.7.5 Armadillo....................................................................................... 163
7.8 Summary ......................................................................................................... 164
References ............................................................................................................. 164
7.1 THE MOUSE
7.1.1 INTRODUCTION
The mouse is a small mammal that belongs to the order Rodentia (Fig. 7.1). The
house mouse of North America and Europe, Mus musculus, is the species most
commonly used for biomedical research. It is likely that the mouse originated in Eur-
asia and utilized its commensal relationship with humans to spread through to other
continents as humans explored and colonized. Mouse fanciers around the turn of the
20th century are the source of the majority of the laboratory mice that are in use
today. A summary of the overarching categories of mouse models that are available
is presented in Table 7.1.
7.1.2 USES IN RESEARCH
Mice and rats make up approximately 95% of all laboratory animals, with mice the
most commonly used animal in biomedical research. Mice are a commonly selected
animal model for a variety of reasons, including small size (facilitating housing and
maintenance); short reproductive cycle and lifespan; generally mild-tempered
and docile; wealth of information regarding their anatomy, genetics, biology, and
, 7.1 The Mouse 119
physiology; and the possibility for breeding genetically manipulated mice and mice
that have spontaneous mutations.
Mice have been used as research subjects for studies ranging from biology to
psychology to engineering. They are used to model human diseases for the purpose
of finding treatments or cures. Some of the diseases they model include: hyperten-
sion, diabetes, cataracts, obesity, seizures, respiratory problems, deafness, Parkin-
son’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, various cancers, cystic fibrosis, and acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), heart disease, muscular dystrophy, and spinal
cord injuries. Mice are also used in behavioral, sensory, aging, nutrition, and genetic
studies. This list is in no way complete as geneticists, biologists, and other scientists
are rapidly finding new uses for the domestic mouse in research.
7.1.3 NORMATIVE BIOLOGY
Mice are mammals and their organ systems are very similar to organ systems in
humans in terms of shape, structure, and physiology. Basic physiologic data are pre-
sented in Table 7.2.
FIGURE 7.1
Laboratory Mouse.
Photo used with permission of American Association for Laboratory Animal Science.
