Central Animal Husbandry

General Information

There are currently around 10.000 laboratory animals in the officially approved premises for breeding and keeping in the various facilities of the Leipzig University Medicine. These are mainly mice, but a much smaller number of rats, rabbits, hamsters, pigs and fish are also regularly housed in the laboratory animal facilities. All laboratory animals are kept at least in accordance with legal requirements. The husbandry conditions and staff are regularly inspected, including by the authorities, and improved where possible. The animal care staff know the animals very well and can assess which cage enrichment materials they prefer. For example, some animals like cellulose cloths, which they use to build nests to hide in, while others ignore them and prefer little houses made of red plastic. All animal rooms have a room climate and lighting regime specially adapted and monitored for the respective animal species, and the housing systems and equipment are also adapted to the animal species.

Our laboratory animals are cared for and monitored by trained animal care staff every day, even at weekends and on public holidays, who attend to the specific needs of the laboratory animals. The animals also receive medical care from our veterinary staff, while animal welfare officers ensure compliance with the legal requirements and the welfare of the animals both in husbandry and in the experiment.

Hygienic Barriers

So-called hygienic barriers are used to prevent pathogens from being introduced into the animal husbandry and infecting our animals. These also prevent the transfer of pathogens from one area of our section to another. This hygienic barrier is achieved, for example, by wearing hygienic clothing and shoes and regularly disinfecting all materials.

The animals are also regularly examined hygienically (microbiologically, virologically, parasitologically) in order to be able to detect and react to any pathogens that may have entered at an early stage. This serves the health of our livestock on the one hand, but also the quality of the research results on the other, because only a healthy and unstressed animal can deliver good and valid results.

The mouse as a laboratory animal

The mouse accounts for three quarters of all laboratory animals used in Germany and is therefore the most important animal in biomedical research. The mouse is also by far the most important laboratory animal at Leipzig University Medicine; in 2023, over 95% of the animals used in animal research projects in accordance with Section 7 of the German Animal Welfare Act (Tierschutzgesetz - TierSchG) were mice. The mouse was also the most important species in the killing of animals for scientific purposes in accordance with §4 TierSchG.

Why is this the case? Despite all the obvious differences to humans, mice are remarkably similar to humans at both a molecular and genetic level. Geneticists have been able to prove that around 99% of the genetic factors found in mice are also present in a similar form in humans. The mouse genome has been completely decoded and can be modulated quickly and easily.

The generation time of mice is short, with a gestation period of 21 days, so manipulation of the genome can be quickly established within a mouse colony. Due to their small body size, mice can also be kept in larger populations if sufficient space is available.

Science, both the applied disciplines of science and basic research, owes a great deal to the mouse. For example, significant progress has been made in cancer therapy with the help of mice. More recently, we have the mouse to thank for the new vaccines against COVID-19 and thus for overcoming the corona pandemic.

The rat as a laboratory animal

The rat is the second most important laboratory animal both in Germany and here in university medicine. Rats are very adaptive and sociable animals, they like to cuddle with others, even in the smallest corner. Rats are enemies of mice, which is why the animals are housed in different rooms.

As these animals are very playful, they are given different ways to keep themselves occupied. For example, tubes made of cardboard, houses made of red plastic, bridges made of stainless steel and also nesting material such as cellulose for building nests are provided.

Liebigstraße, various locations

04103 Leipzig

Email:

mb-mez@medizin.uni-leipzig.de

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