ABSTRACT
An understanding of clinical pathology and its relationship to the animal species does not often play a role in the selection of the optimal species and strain, but it may be a major consideration in determining whether a particular experiment, and especially a particular measurement, will resolve a particular objective. Exceptionally, when an extraordinary biochemical pathway, such as bilirubin metabolism in the Gunn Rat, specifically fulfils the research objective, clinical pathology may be the determinant of the optimal species and strain. In the design of any study, the unique characteristics of the proposed test species should be considered to determine whether the experimental protocol with respect to clinical pathology can be accurately and validly carried out. The chapter demonstrates the difficulty of obtaining clinical pathology measurements in the absence of extraneous effects. It reviews a number of mechanisms and presents some examples of species differences in clinical laboratory parameters.
