Recommendations for Health Monitoring and Reporting for Zebrafish Research Facilities

Abstract

The presence of subclinical infection or clinical disease in laboratory zebrafish may have a significant impact on research results, animal health and welfare, and transfer of animals between institutions. As use of zebrafish as a model of disease increases, a harmonized method for monitoring and reporting the health status of animals will facilitate the transfer of animals, allow institutions to exclude diseases that may negatively impact their research programs, and improve animal health and welfare. All zebrafish facilities should implement a health monitoring program. In this study, we review important aspects of a health monitoring program, including choice of agents, samples for testing, available testing methodologies, housing and husbandry, cost, test subjects, and a harmonized method for reporting results. Facilities may use these recommendations to implement their own health monitoring program.

Review of diseases and health management in zebrafish Danio rerio (Hamilton 1822) in research facilities

“…Recommendations and strategies for disease control in zebrafish laboratories have been developed and implemented in several laboratories and programmes (Barton et al, 2016; Borges et al, 2016; Collymore, Crim, & Lieggi, 2016; Kent et al, 2009; Martins et al, 2016; Mason et al, 2016; Mocho, 2016; Murray, Varga, & Kent, 2016). These programmes vary depending on the configuration of laboratories, pathogen status and needs of investigators.…”

Diagnosis of Centrocestus formosanus Infection in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) in Italy: A Window to a New Globalization-Derived Invasive Microorganism

“…On the one hand, D. rerio is one of the top 30 species in the ornamental fish industry, whose on-going growth (approximately 120 countries and 1.5 billion ornamental fish per year) has led to difficulties in supply, traceability, sustainability, susceptibility to disease, and antibiotic resistance [35,37]. On the other hand, zebrafish have been increasingly used for scientific research, where an optimal health status is imperative to avoid invalidating the research [29,34,38,39].…”

“…Given the importance of C. formosanus infection and dissemination for animal and public health, and the implications for aquaculture, research, and food safety, epidemiological investigations should be conducted in new geographical regions, in order to implement or improve appropriate preventive and control measures in these areas, as well as health-monitoring programs in research facilities [18,29,39].…”

Universal Healthcare for Zebrafish

“…It is both a celebration of the extraordinary growth of the model and an initiation of a discussion on ways to capitalize on what has been learned about zebrafish husbandry and health so that zebrafish can continue to be an outstanding model, whether one has a single small tank or a gigantic facility. This collection of 23 articles submitted by contributors from around the world addresses a wide range of issues ranging from management of many types and sizes of zebrafish research facilities, [5][6][7][8][9][10] strategies for monitoring colony health, [11][12][13][14] case reports of pathogen outbreaks in zebrafish colonies, 15,16 results of studies of endemic and exotic pathogens, [17][18][19] testing of disinfection protocols, 20 establishing regulations for health surveillance for zebrafish importation, 21 to standardization of reporting on health status, 8,[22][23][24] nomenclature, 25 and nutrition. 26 We view this as the beginning of a community-wide dialogue that will promote zebrafish health and thus enhance research productivity and validity of results.…”

“…16 As with other aspects of facility management, health monitoring varies from facility to facility. Articles by Geisler et 7,8,12,13,23 Several articles also point out how simple strategies, for example, using brightly colored markers or different room colors, can simplify monitoring by making health status of particular fish available at a glance. 5,15,16 The articles in this issue and the results of our survey reveal that most facilities have quarantine space so that zebrafish imported from other facilities are monitored before being moved into main facility housing.…”