APPENDIX XVII
GLOSSARY
*ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR: Behaviour that
deviates from a defined, comparable standard. Such a standard may be a
behavioural inventory typical for a given genotype, age group, sex, nutritional
level, housing condition or management system, etc.
AD LIBITUM: Free choice.
ADJUVANT: A substance which non-specifically
enhances the immune response to an antigen.
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE: The temperature
surrounding the animal: under caging conditions may refer to the temperature
in the microenvironment inside the cage as opposed to temperature outside
the cage in the room or enclosure.
ANALGESIC: Substance which reduces
or ameliorates the sensation of pain.
ANESTHESIA: The loss of sensation
in a part or portion (local) or all (general) of the body, usually produced
by the administration of a chemical or a drug.
ANTIBODY: A molecule produced by
animals in response to antigen, and which has the particular property of
combining specifically with the antigen which induced its formation.
ANTICOAGULANT: A substance added
to whole blood to prevent clotting.
ANTIGEN: A foreign material or substance
that stimulates the formation of antibodies when introduced into the tissues
and blood stream.
ANTISEPTIC: 1. Preventing decay
or putrefaction; 2. A substance which will inhibit the growth and development
of microorganisms.
ANXIETY: An aroused state in which
there is involuntary and voluntary nervous activation.
ASEPTIC: The absence of living germs,
free from septic or poisonous putrefactive products.
AXENIC: Free of foreign organisms;
germ-free.
BACK CROSS: The cross of an F1 hybrid
to either of its parents (see F1 below).
BARRIER HOUSING: Housing for research
animals that protects them from outside contamination through both procedure
and facility design. In contrast, containment housing protects the outside
environment from contaminants within the animal housing facility.
BIOSAFETY CABINET: A special exhaust
hood with an enclosed work surface used for biological testing and experiments.
Biosafety cabinets protect the surrounding room, and they protect workers
from hazardous materials being used in the cabinet.
BIOTECHNOLOGY: The use or development
of techniques using organisms or parts of organisms to provide or improve
goods or services.
BIOPSY: The surgical removal of
a cell or sample of tissue for diagnostic purposes.
BREED: A population of animals within
a species, which differs from those in other populations within the same
species in respect to definite genetically determined traits.
CANNULA: A tube (may be plastic
or glass) which is inserted into the intravascular compartment or into
the body to facilitate administration or withdrawal of gases or liquids.
*CIRCADIAN: Referring to cyclic
rhythmicity corresponding closely to a 24 hour interval.
CLOSED COLONY: A colony not recruiting
breeding animals from outside itself.
*COGNITION: A process of perception,
reasoning and development of expectations.
COLONY (HERD, FLOCK): An animal
population maintained under some degree of control for the purpose of reproduction.
A group of animals representing a single genetic pool produced at a single
site under identical conditions of management.
CONDITIONING: Term applied to examination
and preparation of animals for research.
CONGENIC: Animals which genetically
differ at one particular locus.
CONJUNCTIVITIS: Inflammation of
the conjunctiva (the membrane that lines the eyelids and covers the exposed
surfaces of the eyeball).
CONTAGIOUS: A disease or disorder
easily transmitted from individual to individual.
CONTAINMENT HOUSING: Housing for
research animals that protects the environment from contaminants within;
accomplished through procedure and facility design.
*DEPRIVATION: Removal of needed
substances (feed deprivation, water deprivation), perceptual isolation
from things desired (social isolation) or prevention of the performance
of necessary behaviours (sleep deprivation, exercise deprivation). Deprivation
frequently is used experimentally to induce a detectable drive.
DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE: The difference
between pressures measured at two points or levels in a system.
DOMINANT: Controlling. Usually applied
to controlling trait or gene governing genetic patterns.
DRIVE: An internal state causing
increased activity, e.g., hunger drive.
EDEMA: The presence of abnormally
large amounts of fluid in the intercellular tissue spaces of the body;
usually applied to accumulation of fluid in subcutaneous tissues.
EMBRYO: The early or developing
stage of any organism, especially the developing product of fertilization
of an egg.
*ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLEXITY: The diversity
and intensity of environmental stimuli relevant to a given organism, age
group, species, etc. Environmental complexity may range from very low to
very high, and thus be characterized as insufficient, adequate, or excessive.
ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY (ELISA):
Rapid,
sensitive and cost-effective test for screening large numbers of serum
samples. ELISA kits are commercially available.
ESTRUS: The period when mating may
occur.
ETHICS: A system of moral principles
or standards governing conduct.
ETHOLOGY: The scientific study of
animal behaviour.
F1 HYBRID: The first generation
cross between two strains, between two inbred strains, between two lines,
etc.
FARROW: The act of giving birth
by sow (guinea pigs or swine).
FERTILIZATION: The union of the
sperm of the male with the ovum (egg) of the female leading to reproduction.
FETUS: A developing embryo in utero.
FOMITE: Non-living objects that
can carry disease organisms (e.g., restrainers, feeders, mops, etc.).
FREUND'S COMPLETE ADJUVANT (FCA): An
emulsion of aqueous antigen in oil. Contains killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis
while Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant does not.
FULL SPECTRUM LIGHTING: Fluorescent
lighting that very closely matches the spectral energy distribution of
sunlight.
FUME HOOD: A negative airflow cabinet
designed to prevent exposure of personnel to hazardous materials being
handled in it, chemical or microbiological.
GENE: The hereditary unit that occupies
a fixed chromosomal locus, which through transcription has a specific effect
upon phenotype.
GENOME: The total genetic material
contained within the cell.
GENOTYPE: The genetic constitution
of an animal, as distinguished from its phenotype.
GESTATION: The period between conception
and birth which includes embryonic and fetal life.
GNOTOBIOTES: Animals which are completely
germ-free or may have one or more clearly-identified microorganisms existing
in the animal.
GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICES (GLP): Standards
for conducting non-clinical research studies as published by the U.S. Federal
Food and Drug Administration (USFDA).
GROSS SQUARE METERS: All of the
floor space inside building measured from the outside surface of exterior
walls.
HAREM MATING: Mating of one male
with more than two females.
*HEALTH: A relative state of physical,
psychological and social well-being.
HEAT: The period during which the
mating desire is prominent in the female.
HEMATOCRIT: The volume percentage
of erythrocytes (red blood cells) in whole blood. Also Packed Cell Volume
(PCV).
HEMOGLOBIN: The oxygen carrying
pigment of erythrocytes (red blood cells) composed of iron complex and
protein.
HIGH EFFICIENCY PARTICULATE AIR (HEPA)
FILTER: Used in cleanrooms, biological safety cabinets, laminar flow
units, etc., to filter out contaminating particles as small as 0.5 microns
in diameter.
HERITABILITY: A measure of the degree
to which a phenotype is genetically determined.
HUMIDITY (RELATIVE): The ratio of
the quantity of water vapour actually present in the air to the amount
of water vapour that air is capable of holding at the given temperature.
IMPRINTING: The learning process
involved in developing, during an early sensitive period, the tendency
to follow or otherwise approach an object.
INFECTION: Disease process caused
by the invasion of microorganisms into the body tissue.
INBRED: Inbreeding - resulting from
mating between closely related animals.
INFLAMMATION: The condition into
which tissues enter as a reaction to injury or an infectious agent.
INTRADERMAL: Delivered into the
dermis or skin.
INTRAPERITONEAL (IP): Delivered
into the peritoneal or abdominal cavity.
INTRAVENOUS (IV): Delivered into
a vein.
LAMINAR AIRFLOW: Uniform direction
movement of air. Laminar airflow is generally associated with fume hoods
or biological safety enclosures that utilize this characteristic to capture
and carry away airborne particles.
LATENT OR MASKED INFECTION: An infection
or condition which is not clinically expressed in the animal but may, under
stress or certain conditions, develop into an overt, recognizable diseased
state.
LITTER: a) numerous young
born at one time of a single female; b) in reference to bedding may mean
straw, hay or other material used for the purpose of bedding.
MAJOR SURGERY: A surgical procedure
in which there is direct visual access to a major body cavity (cranium,
spinal canal, thorax, abdomen, pelvis) and/or exposure of major vascular,
muscular, skeletal, neural, lymphatic or glandular structures and/or removal
of, or alteration to, a functionally significant amount of tissue. There
is no clear boundary between Major and Minor Surgery; thus Animal Care
Committees (ACC) should use definitions of these terms only as adjuncts
to the "Categories of Invasiveness", and should seek additional professional
judgment when the level of invasiveness and injury is unclear.
MALIGNANT: Tending to become progressively
worse and to result in death.
MASS AIR DISPLACEMENT CLEANROOM (MADC):
A
cleanroom used in conjunction with animal housing in research facilities
to keep the environment free of hair, dandruff and other airborne contaminants.
The level of cleanliness is determined by the number of air changes per
hour and the numbers and types of animals held in the cleanroom.
MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS (MSDS):
Technical
documents that provide detailed and comprehensive information on controlled
products related to health effects of overexposure to the products; hazard
evaluation related to the products handling, storage or use; measures to
protect employees at risk of over-exposure; and emergency procedures.
MICROENVIRONMENT: A small, isolated
habitat, usually within a cage.
MICROINJECTION: A technique used
for the insertion of genes from one cell into another cell.
MICROISOLATION CAGING: A caging
system that protects animals from becoming contaminated via other lab animals
or personnel by placing the barrier at cage level and never allowing that
barrier to be opened except in a protected class 100 environment by personnel
whose pertinent body surfaces are covered and decontaminated with a sterilant.
MICROORGANISM: A microscopic living
agent, often a producer of disease.
MINIPUMP: A small device, implanted
in the body (usually subcutaneously or intraperitoneally), which through
osmotic pressure on a drug-containing chamber, provides continuous controlled
delivery of drugs to the body.
MINOR SURGERY: A surgical procedure
that does not result in removal of, or alteration to, a functionally significant
amount of tissue. There is no clear boundary between Minor and Major Surgery;
thus Animal Care Committees (ACC) should use definitions of these terms
only as adjuncts to the "Categories of Invasiveness", and should seek additional
professional judgment when the level of invasiveness and injury is unclear.
MORBIDITY: The occurrence of sickness.
MORIBUND: Close to death.
MUTANT: An organism bearing a mutant
gene that expresses itself in the phenotype of the organism.
MYCOTIC INFECTION: Disease caused
by a fungus.
NECROPSY: Systematic dissection
of an animal after death to elucidate the cause of death. Same as postmortem
examination. Necropsy preferred term for animal postmortem examinations
as opposed to autopsy for human-beings.
NECROSIS: The death of a portion
of tissue or organ.
NET ASSIGNABLE SQUARE METERS: The
net floor space in a building measured from the inside surfaces of exterior
walls and excluding interior walls and partitions, mechanical equipment
rooms, lavatories, janitorial closets, elevators, stairways, major circulation
corridors, aisles, and elevator lobbies.
NON-HUMAN PRIMATES: Any non-human
member of the order primates of mammals including prosimians, monkey,
apes. Synonyms: infrahuman primate, sub-human primate.
NON-SENTIENT MATERIAL: Material
that fails to visually demonstrate pain, without or almost devoid of nervous
and sensory systems.
NUDE MOUSE: A genetically athymic
mouse, it also carries a closely-linked gene producing a defect in hair
production.
ORAL OR PER OS (PO): The
act of administering a substance through the mouth.
OVUM: Egg or germ cell produced
by the female reproductive organ, the ovary.
PATHOGEN: An organism which causes
disease.
PARTURITION: The act or process
of giving birth.
PHENOTYPE: The outward visible expression
of the hereditary constitution of an organism.
*PICA: Abnormal appetite for unusual
and often inappropriate feed, e.g., dirt, hair, feces, etc.
PLASMA: The fluid portion of blood,
without cells, in which anticoagulants have prevented clotting.
*POLYDIPSIA: The consumption of
large amounts of liquids (frequently used interchangeably with the term,
excessive thirst).
*POLYPHAGIA: Consumption of an unusually
broad variety of foods. Compare: Hyperphagia.
*POLYURIA: Excessive excretion of
urine.
POST PARTUM: The immediate period
following parturition or birth of young.
PROGENY: The young of a species.
PROGNOSIS: The prospect as to recovery
from a disease as indicated by the nature and symptoms of the case.
PROPHYLAXIS: Prevention.
PUBERTY: The onset of sexual maturity.
QUARANTINE: The segregation or isolation
of animals from all others to prevent the spread of disease.
RESTRAINT: Holding or securing to
reduce activity in order to prevent the animal from causing harm to itself
or harm to the handler.
*REWARD TRAINING: A type of operant
conditioning in which a reward (positive reinforcer) is directly contingent
on the performance of the subject. According to the training objectives,
the performance resulting in reward may be either a produced response or
a withheld response.
RISK: The probability of adverse
effects, their nature and their severity over a range of exposures.
ROUGHAGE: Food that is high in fibre
and low in digestible nutrients.
RUMINANT: A cud-chewing polygastric
animal having usually four digestive compartments; includes such animals
as cows, goats, sheep.
SANITIZE: To reduce the level of
microorganisms to an acceptable health level.
SEMEN: The ejaculate of the male
reproductive organs containing spermatozoa and including material from
accessory glands and the testes.
SERUM: Non-cellular components of
blood which remain after clotting.
SERVICE: In reference to animal
breeding, refers to the act of copulation by the male animal. The male
animal serves (breeds) the female.
SEVERE COMBINED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY (SCID)
MOUSE: Mice that possess a genetic autosomal recessive mutation. SCID
mice lack functional lymphocytes, a defect that is manifested in a number
of ways including lymphopenia, agammaglobulinemia and a high susceptibility
to infection. SCID mice are desirable research models for implantation
of foreign tissues and tumours.
SEXUAL MATURITY: The age at which
the animal is first able to reproduce.
*SOCIAL DOMINANCE: Ascendency of
an individual over another individual(s).
SPECIFIC PATHOGEN FREE (SPF): Defines
the health status of animals raised free of specific disease organisms.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOP):
Written
documents specifying the procedures that must be followed to ensure the
quality and integrity of the study.
*STEREOTYPED BEHAVIOUR: Behaviour
repeated in a very constant way. The term generally is used to refer to
behaviour that develops as a consequence of a problem situation such as
extended social isolation, low level of environmental complexity, etc.
STERILIZATION: The complete destruction
of microorganisms by heat, chemical compounds, mechanical or physical means.
In animal breeding, refers to any procedure which renders the animal incapable
of reproduction.
STOCK: A collection of outbred animals
being grown or maintained for breeding or for experimental use.
STRAIN: A group of animals of known
ancestry maintained by a planned inbreeding mating system; generally with
some distinguishing characteristics.
STRESS: A strain upon the normal
physiological or psychological processes or functions of the body, organ
or tissue. Some stresses may cause pathology or diseased states or weaken
the normal body defences.
SUBCUTANEOUS (SC): Occurring beneath
the skin.
SUSCEPTIBLE: Lacking in resistance
to infection or injury or permitting a weak defense.
SYNDROME: A group of signs (animals)
or symptoms (humans) occurring together designating a state or a disease.
SYSTEMIC: A condition occurring
throughout the entire system of the entire animal body.
THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUE (TLV): An
airborne concentration of a substance to which indoor workers may be exposed
repeatedly without adverse effects.
TISSUE CULTURE: The propagation
of tissue removed from organisms in a laboratory environment that has strict
sterility, temperature and nutrient requirements.
TOXIN: A product poisonous to the
animal, arising from a plant or animal cell. It may be produced by the
cell itself and excreted from the cell or it may be contained within the
cell, such as the bacterial cell, and released only on the death of the
cell.
TRANQUILLIZER: An agent, usually
a drug, capable of making the animal quiet and docile.
TRANSGENIC ANIMALS: Animals whose
hereditary DNA has been augmented by the addition of DNA from a source
other than parental germplasm, usually from another animal or a human,
using recombinant DNA techniques.
TRAUMA: An injury.
VACCINE: A substance used to stimulate
the production of antibodies against a specific disease-producing agent,
usually as a preventive measure.
VASCULAR ACCESS PORT: Catheters
terminating subcutaneously in "ports" which allow transcutaneous access
with needles.
VECTOR: A living thing that is capable
of carrying and transmitting infectious agents.
VERMIN: Any undesirable or disturbing
offender such as flies, lice, fleas, cockroaches, ticks, mice, rats, weasels.
VIABILITY: Usually refers to the
ability of the young to live after birth.
VIRUS: Any of a large group of organisms
containing genetic material, but unable to reproduce outside a host cell.
VITAL CENTER: Any one of a various
group of nerve cells located in the medulla oblongata of the central
nervous system (CNS) which co-ordinates functions essential to life, e.g.,
respiration, heart beat.
*WELL-BEING: A state or condition
of physical and psychological harmony between the organism and its surroundings.
Good health and manifestation of a normal behavioural repertoire are the
most commonly used indicators of (an) animal's well-being.
WHELP: The act of parturition in
the bitch, the birth of puppies.
WORKPLACE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INFORMATION
SYSTEM (WHMIS): A federal system to provide information on hazardous
materials used in the workplace, it concentrates on three key elements;
labels, material safety data sheets, legislation and employee education.
ZOONOSIS: A disease of animals that
may under natural conditions be secondarily transmitted to humans.
____________________
* Excerpted from: 1)
Dictionary of farm animal behaviour. Hurnik, J.F., Webster, A.B.
and Siegel, P.B., eds. University of Guelph 1985; 2) Glossary of
terms relevant to farm animal behaviour and welfare. In: Farm
animal behaviour and welfare. Fraser, A.F. and Broom, D.M., eds.,
Ballière Tindall, London 1990: 385-391.
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