Animal research ethics in Africa: An overview

Abstract

With research projects that use animals on the increase worldwide and in Africa in particular, animal research ethics should continue to be reviewed to improve the welfare of animals used in research. The welfare of animals used in research has gained attention globally that has led to the development of guidelines and in some instances national laws governing animal experimentation. Although there may not be empirical data on the existence or adequacy of national and/or institutional policies and guidelines on the use of animals in research in Africa, most African countries are not yet at the same level as developed countries. Consequently, some researchers based at institutions in developed countries may be tempted to ‘export’ their research activities to collaborating African institutions where ethical and legal frameworks on use of animals may be less stringent than in the developed countries.

An appreciation of the intrinsic value of animals should be enough driving force for human beings to strive to promote humane treatment of animals. This paper gives an overview of uses and potential abuses of animals in research for the benefit of stakeholders such as researchers, research institutions, Ethics Review Committees (ERCs) and policy makers and ends with suggestions on possible ways of ensuring humane treatment of animals used in research in Africa in particular and globally in general.

Introduction

Although there may be a general agreement that use of animals in research is not wrong in principle, it is critical that animals used in research are treated humanely. In Africa there are many research and academic institutions that use animals for research or teaching purposes. Some research institutions use animal models for various diseases. For instance, the Institute of Primate Research (IPR), which is located in Nairobi, Kenya, is a well developed research institution that conducts biomedical, conservational and ecological research using non-human primates (www.ipr.or.ke). The main ultimate goals of IPR are to improve human health while at the same time maintaining biodiversity of the non-human primates that are central to the research activities of not only the IPR but also other research organizations. In order to ensure that animals are used humanely, the institute has a well established Animal Resources Department, equipped with modern diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical facilities, that takes care of all animals used in research at the institution.

Research on many diseases that affect Africa has been conducted in animal models in various African countries. Vervet monkeys have been used as non-human primate model for leishmaniasis in studies conducted in African countries such as Ethiopia (Hailu et al., 1995). Vaccine development studies also make use of animal models. In bred mice have been used in many types of studies conducted in some African countries. For instance, DNA vaccine candidates for cowdriosis were tested in DBA2 mice in studies conducted in Zimbabwe (Nyika et al., 1998, Nyika et al., 2002). Studies to investigate the immunological effect of schistosomiasis and malaria co-infection were done in BALB/c mice in Kenya (Kanyugo et al., 2009). The study showed that concomitant infections with schistosomiasis and malaria worsened the severity of malaria in the mouse model, which could have practical implications for people in some African regions where the two diseases are prevalent.

In other studies conducted in South Africa researchers used out bred rabbits as a model to demonstrate the therapeutic potential of immunization of people infected with low-risk type of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) with HPV virus-like particles (VLP) vaccines (Govan et al., 2008). In addition, most universities in Africa use animals for teaching purposes in such fields as veterinary medicine, animal science and some biomedical studies. Indeed research and academic activities conducted in Africa that involve use of different types of animals are too many to enumerate, which highlights the importance of collective and continuous efforts to enhance mechanisms of protecting the welfare of animals used in research or teaching. It should be acknowledged that some African countries have been developing ethical or legal frameworks aimed at safeguarding the welfare of animals used for research or teaching purposes. However, for most of the African countries the unavailability of the information in the public domain is a major challenge that needs to be addressed if the developed frameworks are to effectively serve the purpose for which they were developed.

This paper gives an overview of the use and potential abuses of animals in health research or teaching, and explores some approaches as well as some ethical and legal guidelines that have been developed in some countries in an effort to protect the welfare of animals used in research or teaching. The ultimate goal is to enhance knowledge among researchers, ERCs, policy makers and other stakeholders about the best possible humane treatment of animals. It is hoped that most countries will intensify the development of their own national guidelines, appropriate legal frameworks, and/or Animal Ethics Committees (AECs) for animal experimentation. It is therefore important for the various stakeholders to be aware of the pertinent issues and take any necessary steps to continually improve the welfare of animals used in research or for teaching purposes.