ABSTRACT
The pig has become an important tool as a laboratory animal for biomedical research. The increasing importance of swine as an animal model for human diseases and testing is related to the highly correlated anatomical and physiological similarities between the two species, and to a lesser justification, the lowered animal rights group interest in swine use as compared to primate [nonhuman primate (NHP)] or dog use. Swine models show important anatomical, physiological, and biochemical concordance with higher-order mammals, especially humans. This is the main reason why they are valuable for biomedical research. Blood collection from swine can be a labor-intensive procedure that, in most instances, requires special restraint methods and/or equipment. In swine, age-dependent changes occur for a variety of clinical chemistry variables, and many of these changes occur within the first days, even hours, of life. Changes in swine lymphoid cell numbers are commonly associated with viral (lymphopenia or lymphocytosis), bacterial (neutrophilia), and parasitic disease (monocytic or eosinophilic responses).
