Experimental animal facilities
The Institute has access to a wide range of Experimental Animal Facilities, laboratory animal expertise and corresponding routine laboratories. Research can be carried out under climatically and microbiologically controlled conditions.
Animal Species: from mice to cattle, conventional to sterile
In addition to routine laboratory animals (mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits), the Central Veterinary Institute has access to state of the art facilities for carrying out research on all species of farm animals (cattle, poultry, pigs, sheep, goats, horses), wild animals and fish. The facilities provide animal housing with specific health statuses ranging from conventional to sterile. Some of these animals are bred by the Central Veterinary Institute itself. All research disciplines may use these facilities, whether the animals are used as target or model animals.
Types of Study: infection and transmission studies, and registration studies
The Institute has years of experience and access to facilities unique in the Netherlands for performing infection and transmission studies. In addition to experimental animal research into infectious diseases, the Institute performs experiments for research into nutrition and metabolism, stress and welfare, behaviour, biomedical issues and new tools for use in animal experiments. The unit also makes animal experiment expertise available for scientific activities including the development of new therapies, and interventions for pharmaceutical and biological products. Registration studies can also be carried out here.
Facilities: operating theatres, DM III en BSL III control
Well-equipped operating theatres in combination with excellent biotechnical expertise offer a wide range of experimental options for surgery, automation, sample collection and data collection. This allows the Institute to house, treat and care for laboratory animals under optimal conditions, and get reliable results using fewer animals. As a result, the Institute is able to fulfil its primary responsibility, which is caring for and respecting the animals involved in experiments. Studies, including those using large farm animals, can be performed under controlled (DM III and BSL III) conditions.