Controversial experiments
Britches · Brown Dog affair
Cambridge University primates
Pit of despair
Silver Spring monkeys
Unnecessary Fuss
Companies
Charles River Laboratories, Inc. Covance · Harlan
Huntingdon Life Sciences
UK lab animal suppliers
Nafovanny · Shamrock
Groups/campaigns
Americans for Medical Progress AALAS · AAAS
Boyd Group · BUAV Dr Hadwen Trust · PETA
Foundation For Biomedical Research
National Anti-Vivisection Society
Physicians Committee
for Responsible Medicine
Primate Freedom Project
Pro-Test · SPEAK
Research Defence Society
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
Writers/activists Colin Blakemore · Carl Cohen
Gill Langley · Ingrid Newkirk
Neal Barnard · Jerry Vlasak
Simon Festing · Tipu Aziz
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Template:Animal rights
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Specific Pathogen Free is a term used for laboratory animals that are guaranteed free of particular pathogens. It is always accompanied by a list of the absent pathogens.
Use of SPF animals ensures that specified diseases do not interfere with an experiment. For example, absence of respiratory pathogens such as influenza in desirable when investigating a drug's effect on lung function.
The animals can be born through a caesarian section then special care taken so the newborn does not acquire infections, such as use of sterile plastic bags with a positive pressure differential.
A disadvantage is that any contact with pathogens will be fatal, since no protective bacterial flora are present (on the skin or in the intestine or respiratory tract).
SPF
To certify SPF, the population is checked for presence of (antibodies against) the specified pathogens.
Minimal disease status
When by accident some infection does occur, the population is said to have minimal disease status.
Monitoring
The population is regularly checked to ensure the status still holds.
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