Alternative Methods to Current In Vivo Procedures to Address the 3Rs Tenet in Rabies Proficiency Testing

Maira Zorzan; Morgane Gourlaouen; Stefania Leopardi; Paola De Benedictis

doi:10.3390/v14081698

Alternative Methods to Current In Vivo Procedures to Address the 3Rs Tenet in Rabies Proficiency Testing

Viruses. 2022 Jul 31;14(8):1698. doi: 10.3390/v14081698.

Authors

Maira Zorzan¹, Morgane Gourlaouen¹, Stefania Leopardi¹, Paola De Benedictis¹

Affiliation

¹ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Italian Reference Centre for Rabies, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, viale dell'Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Italy.

Abstract

Canine rabies is responsible for an estimated 59,000 human deaths every year. In an attempt to reach the ZeroBy30 goal, robust disease surveillance coupled with improved diagnostics play a paramount role in ensuring reliable data and gradually attesting rabies control advancements. In this context, proficiency testing is organized to harmonize rabies diagnostic capacities. In most exercises, rabies-positive samples consist of brains collected from intracerebrally inoculated mice. This procedure causes distress and severe suffering to animals, raising important ethical concerns that can no longer be ignored. In the last decades, the 3Rs tenet (Replace, Reduce, Refine) has been successfully implemented in several scientific areas, and we strongly support its application in the framework of rabies proficiency testing. Here, we discuss cell-based technologies as innovative sustainable in vitro candidate systems to replace in vivo experiments for the production of proficiency testing samples. The application of these alternative methods can allow completely in vitro or ex vivo production of rabies proficiency testing panels, which would represent an important replacement or reduction/refinement for current in vivo procedures.

Keywords: 3Rs tenet; in vitro/ex vivo technologies; proficiency testing; rabies.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Dogs
Humans
Laboratory Proficiency Testing
Mice
Rabies Vaccines*
Rabies* / diagnosis

Substances

Rabies Vaccines

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, grant number SG-2018-1236561 “3R4 Rabies: An innovative way to replace in vivo experiments for rabies diagnostic interlaboratory trials with sustainable in vitro systems”.