Culture of Care Enhancement in Egypt: The Impact of Laboratory Animal Science Training on Participants’ Attitudes

Abstract

Cairo University was the first academic institution in Egypt to establish an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), as mandated by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Animal-based research should be performed in accordance with international regulations to monitor the humane care and use of the laboratory animals. Until 2018, the formal training of researchers in the appropriate and correct methods of animal handling during sampling and administration, as well as their husbandry demands, was an uncommon practice in Egypt. In 2018, the Egyptian Association for Animal Research Advancement (EAARA) organised the first international course in laboratory animal science (LAS), in collaboration with Utrecht University (The Netherlands) and the Faculty of Science, Cairo University, to raise researchers’ awareness and increase their knowledge of the principles that govern the humane use and care of laboratory animals. A total of 26 researchers from a number of fields (veterinary medicine, dentistry, science, medicine, pharmacy and agriculture) enrolled in the course. In the responses to the post-course questionnaire, 24 (92.3%) participants stated that the principles of animal welfare (Three Rs) were well explained. In addition, 18 (69%) participants found that the course improved their skills in animal sampling and handling. Of the 26 participants, 22 (84.6%) became aware of their responsibility towards their experimental animals and agreed that the different methods of euthanasia were well explained. In conclusion, the general assessment of the course revealed a positive outcome regarding the culture of animal care; the course was repeated a year later, and several participants were enlisted as trainers in this second course.