HUMANE EXPERIMENTATION (cont)
REDUCTION
Planning research must incorporate efforts to use the fewest animals possible. Obviously, there must be enough for reliable statistical analysis and to have a buffer to cover unforeseen problems. Consultation with a statistician will help establish the optimum number for a valid study.
Use of healthy, pathogen-free animals results in lower morbidity and mortality and yields more consistent data with fewer animals. Numbers can also be reduced by having investigators share animals by each acquiring samples for analysis in protocols approved by the IACUC. Animal numbers can also be reduced by a careful and intensive literature search.