Minipig: Advantages and Disadvantages as a Model in Toxicity Testing

Abstract

The choice of animal models for toxicity testing is usually based on convenience rather than validity for application in human beings. Attention must be paid to the similarities of the test system with those of humans so that extrapolations can be made with some margin of safety. Miniature swine offer many advantages in terms of being phylogenetically closer to humans and having many physiological similarities. The neonatal piglet is an excellent model for studies of perinatal toxicology and pediatrics because of its physiological resemblance to the human infant. The size of mature miniature swine, short reproductive cycle, ease of breeding, high prolificacy, large litter size, diversity of gene pool, early maturity, and adaptability to the experimental situation are advantages that do not exist in other species. All in all, the miniature swine is as yet an unappreciated and underutilized species for experimental purposes.