Role of Lab Rat in Medical Science

Ashraful Kabir, M.

Department of Biology, Saidpur Cantonment Public College, Nilphamari, Bangladesh

*Correspondence to: Dr. Ashraful Kabir, M., Department of Biology, Saidpur Cantonment Public College, Nilphamari, Bangladesh.

Copyright © 2019 Dr. Ashraful Kabir, M. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Introduction
Albino form (Laboratory Rat or Lab Rat) of Norwegian Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) is very common pet in Bangladesh. Its white fur with red eye looks nice. Its reproduction rate is very high as other rats. Its size is moderate and management system is easy. Laboratory Rat is bred and kept for scientific research. Laboratory rats have served as an important animal model for research in Psychology, Medicine and other fields. Breeding the rats may have produced variations in color, notably the albino and hooded varieties. One of these albino mutants was brought into a laboratory for study on fasting in 1828. In Japan, there was a widespread practice of keeping rats in the 18th century. Genetic analysis of 117 albino rat strains collected from all parts of the world carried out by a team led by Takashi Kuramoto at Kyoto University in 2012, showed that the Albino Rats descended from hooded rats and all the Albino Rats descended from a single ancestor. W. S. Small suggested that the rate of learning could be measured by rats in a maze. The first rat colony in America used for nutrition research was started in January 1908 by Elmer McCollum. The reproductive function of rats was studied at Institute for Experimental Biology at University of California, Berkeley by Herbert McLean Evans and Joseph A. Long. The genetics of rats was studied by William Ernest Castle at the Bussey Institute of Harvard University in 1994. Rats have long been used in cancer research. Domestic rats are calmer and less likely to bite, they can tolerate greater crowding, and they bred earlier and produce more offspring. Rats are highly intelligence and playful in nature. Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus is the origin of all fancy rats. The National Mouse Club in United Kingdom was established in 1895. There are now 700 different varieties in mice but rat mutations are much lower, totaling less than 30. White Norwegian Rat is harmful to any black rats. If this rat is released in house other rats cannot survive. The objective of this study is to find out the mode of reproduction of lab rat for the research on medical issues.

Materials and Methods

Rat Shelter: Wooden box with stair system for its movement is good. A wooden two chambered box was made to pet this rat. Need plenty of climbing space. Not use wheel inside the box because it may happens trap its tail. 24×18×24 inch wooden box can useful for a single adult pair and this measurement is similar for a single pair of Guinea Pig [1]. Hectic and jerky movements of the rat box should be avoided always.

Served Food: Boiled potato, rice, and milk were served for three times daily. Rice with milk and boiled potato were the main food during the study on this rat.

Handling: At the time of handling or transferring rats need to use mask and gloves. Heavy, obese, or pregnant mice should not gripped by the base of tail. For transferring mother and young, mother transfer first by using two fingers between the ears. Ano-genital distance is longer in males [2]. Gestation period of rat is 23 days. Shape of the head and ear is important to its proper sex identification. Kinked tail is a disqualification of this rat [3].

Results and Discussion
In October 2003, researchers succeeded in cloning two laboratory rats by nuclear transfer. The Zucker rat was bred to be a genetic model for research on obesity and hypertension. The use of mouse in biomedical research can be traced back to the 1600s [4]. Hypo-allergic gloves can be used to protect the bites of mice. People may develop allergic reaction to rear rats or mice [2]. Asthma and life threatening allergic reaction may occur by these rats [5]. In mice, the major allergens are found in urine and hair follicle. Highest exposure of allergens can spread through cage cleaning and feeding [6]. Repeated restraint caused significant impairment of anti-tumour T cell responses, but need further studies [7]. At first only one pair was in the box. When female was in hit, mating occurred all the time and continued two days. That time male was very aggressive to the female. Special care need to apply in this stage. At the first pregnancy female gave birth three young. Maximum nine young were seen of this rat. Within the jar, glass or any rough areas of the human residences, it can birth. High reproductive rate, small size, and their vitality these are the best laboratory rat [2].

Conclusions
It is no doubt that lab rat is the worldwide accepted rat which is the best animal for treating any medical issues. Its reproductive capability is higher and within a short span it can show any result. Moreover, in Bangladesh, its number is adequate in any pet shop. Price is lower so that anyone can rear this rat. It needs very short space and takes our common household food. White fur with pink eyes is really looked nice. Only in breeding season male is aggressive and that time we should not irritate them. Its body is very soft and easily affected by any hardy obstacles. During the time of pregnancy, careful handling is must. Their chisels like incisor teeth are sometimes painful for the rearer. Adults are more excited during hungry. In a balcony or any short space, it is possible to rear for hobby or research. All rats and mice are included in the family Muridae. They spread the bacterium of typhoid (Murine Typhosa) which is dangerous for human. For a large scale, in order to maintain a research lab apron, mask, gloves, and strong disinfectants are essential.

Bibliography

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