A Review of Animal Laboratory Practice in the COVID-19 and Safety Concerns

Abstract

The research in biomedical sciences is based on basic research on animals. As a consequence of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many research projects involving animal studies have faced interruptions due to the raised concerns about the safety of working with animals The disruption in such research projects has raised significant concerns in biomedical scientific research worldwide. It seems necessary to assess and evaluate the safety and feasibility of conducting research projects on animal models. This study provides evidence on the feasibility of continuing the research activities in animal laboratories during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the results of studies, the risk of COVID-19 is low in routine laboratory animals, including mice, rats, and pigs. By examining the available data from our animal laboratory, continuing research activities on low-risk animals, with adequate safety and personal protection equipment being available at the facility, animal studies could be carried forward without endangering the safety of the researcher and the society.

Keywords

• coronavirus
• animal laboratory
• biomedical research
• covid-19