Infectra(®)-kit: a device for restraining mice and confining tsetse flies during trypanosome infection transmission experiments.

Authors:

Kariuki Ndung'u James Karuku Kibugu Purity Kaari Gitonga John Kibuthu Thuita Joanna Eseri Auma Samuel Kariuki Gitonga Geoffrey Njuguna Ngae Grace Adira Murilla

Acta Trop 2013 May 12;126(2):146-9. Epub 2013 Feb 12.

Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Kenya.

Chemical (anaesthesia) and manual techniques are commonly used to restrain mice during vector-mediated parasite transmission experiments in the laboratory. Chemical restraint may interfere with natural fly vector-mouse interactions and therefore potentially affect the outcome of transmission experiments. Conversely, manual restraint is labour-intensive and exposes laboratory animals to excessive restraining-related discomfort. We report development of a mouse restraining device (Infectra(®)-kit) that allows essential transmission studies to be carried out with minimal human manipulation and without the need for anaesthesia. Infectra(®)-kit can be used as a single unit for restraining one mouse or as eight-assembled units, thus significantly improving efficiency of a single operator in comparison to manual restraint. The kit was validated by comparing feeding success in tsetse flies fed on mice restrained using Infectra(®)-kit (Group I) to those manually restrained (Group II). The mean±SE % feeding success was 75.0±8.2% and 82.1±8.2% for tsetse flies in Groups I and II respectively. Statistical analysis using two sample t-test showed no significant difference between the two groups at p≤0.05, indicating that Infectra(®)-kit as a restraining device was as good as the conventional manual restraint method. The main benefits of using Infectra(®)-kit for transmission studies therefore include reduction of man-hours and animal restraining-related discomfort. In addition, the risk of accidental injury to laboratory personnel by either mice or tsetse flies is minimized, which is an important consideration when working with zoonotic parasites.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2013.02.006	DOI Listing

May 2013

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