Abstract
Domestic, and in particular, miniature pigs are becoming more frequently used in biomedical research because many anatomical and physiological similarities are closer to humans in pigs when compared with other laboratory animals. The availability of commercially purpose-bred specific pathogen free animals, the growing amount of reference data, in addition to the fact that there is generally less public concern about experimentation with pigs compared to studies in dogs or non human primates make pigs an attractive alternative laboratory animal species. Therefore, this book is essential reading for researchers using pigs. The text book is an updated and expanded edition of “Surgery, Anesthesia and Experimental Techniques in Swine” (Swindle 1998). The main title of the second edition may be misleading since the text book clearly focuses on surgical and other invasive experimentation in pigs (as described in the subtitle) and is not an all round reference for experimentation with laboratory swine.
The edition, however, is supplemented with numerous tables of reference values of physiological parameters of various breeds, short chapters on toxicology, radiobiology, imaging techniques and a separate chapter on the Ossabaw Island miniature swine. The latter breed is likely of interest for investigators on obesity and diabetes. The fist chapter on biology, handling, husbandry and anatomy contains instructive sections enriched with many photographs (e.g. administration and injection) and presents a practical guide for all investigators and animal technicians handling pigs. Other sections, however, are very introductory and offer limited information (e.g., biology, general anatomy). The second chapter, also rich in illustrations, on anesthesia, analgesia, and perioperative care is a very intensive and informative summary of these topics and provides essential and very useful information for investigators using pig models in general. The next nine chapters which deal with various organs and organ systems address a great variety of surgical procedures and invasive methods. Each chapter has an introductory section on surgical anatomy and general principles of surgery providing specific background information but also valuable “add on” information and actual references for the pharmacologist or toxicologist. The content of these chapters is almost a complete list of all existing, surgically produced, organ disease models. Thus, investigators who want to establish a new invasive method should find this a valuable source of information. The spectrum of the described surgical procedures is very broad and sometimes goes beyond routine surgical procedures. For example heart/lung transplantation is briefly described. Several described procedures require a team of specialists and will be limited to specially equipped institutions. However, there are also sections on broader applications such as cardiovascular catherization, angiography, ECG, telemetry, endoscopy or laparascopy. That computerized imaging techniques used in human patients as CT, MRI, PET, or PET/CT can also be applied to pigs–if one has access to such sophisticated instrumentarium–is shown in a separate chapter and is supplemented with a DVD. How useful a few pages covering toxicology, xenotransplantation, transgenic technology and radiobiology are, may be a matter of discussion. Nevertheless, relevant and updated references are provided for further reading. The quality of the photographs (all in black and white) are largely the only negative component. Most them have poor contrast making it difficult to see what is being demonstrated. Despite the poor quality of printing this excellent and well written text book should be in the library of every institution where pig research is being carried out.