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Spontaneous otitis media in Wistar rats: an overlooked pathology in otological research

Lab Animal volume 35, pages 40–44 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

The rat is commonly employed in otological research, but spontaneous ear infections can confound the results of experimental procedures—wasting time, money, and animals. The authors focus on the incidence of spontaneous otitis media in Wistar rats. They compare disease incidence in animals housed in standard cages with those housed in barrier units, showing that 20% of their conventionally housed animals developed spontaneous otitis media, whereas only 5% of their animals housed in isolated units were infected. These results underscore the importance of strict control of the shipping, housing conditions, and manipulation of animals to be used in otological research.

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Figure 1
Figure 2: Images of otoscopy and of the opened bulla after euthanasia of the animal.
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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Universitario La Paz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain

    José María Verdaguer &  Almudena Trinidad

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ear Research Group, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain

    Almudena Trinidad,  José Ángel González-García,  José Ramón García-Berrocal &  Rafael Ramírez-Camacho

Authors
  1. José María Verdaguer
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  2. Almudena Trinidad
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  3. José Ángel González-García
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  4. José Ramón García-Berrocal
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  5. Rafael Ramírez-Camacho
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Correspondence to José María Verdaguer.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Verdaguer, J., Trinidad, A., González-García, J. et al. Spontaneous otitis media in Wistar rats: an overlooked pathology in otological research. Lab Anim 35, 40–44 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban1106-40

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