ABSTRACT
References................................................................................................................86
In vivo
production of ascites fluid rich in antibodies can be useful for producing 50to 100-mg quantities of antibodies for use in the research laboratory. However, the use of mice and rats for this purpose is closely regulated in both the United States and Europe. The use of animals for ascites production has almost been eliminated in favor of
in vitro
methods. In Europe, two laws exist for the protection of laboratory animals (Council Directive 86/609/EEC and European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes, ETS 123). An excellent overview of these regulations can be found at https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/antibody/ecvam.htm on the Internet. In the United States, researchers that receive funding from, or have collaborations with, institutions who receive funding from government service organizations such as the NIH must show that a project has failed to produce sufficient antibodies through the use of
in vitro
methods before approval will be given to proceed with
in vivo
production of ascites fluid.
