Xenopus Oocyte Harvesting
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines to researchers harvesting oocytes from Xenopus (“African Clawed frogs”).
Background
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) requires scientific justification for multiple survival surgeries performed on any research or teaching animal. For example, a researcher may document in their protocol that they need to obtain a certain amount of genetic material from the same frog that is more than can be obtained in a single laparotomy.
Guidelines
The total number of laparotomies will not exceed five (5) recovery surgeries and will depend on the condition and lifespan of the animal, as well as the duration of egg production.
Surgeries should be performed by trained personnel using appropriate anesthesia, such as buffered tricaine methane-sulfonate (MS-222). Contact the Office of the Attending Veterinarian at (530) 752-0514 for additional information pertaining to Xenopus anesthesia. Surgeries must be done using sterilized instruments, materials, and gloves.
Single housing or small group housing for several days after surgery should be considered as part of the post-surgical care of laparotomized animals. If recovering animals are to be housed with other frogs in different stages of recovery, they must be identified and marked for easy identification. Frogs must be monitored at least daily during this period for appetite as well as any complications such as dehiscence or infection. Such adverse effects would be reasons for immediate euthanasia.
A minimum of one-month recovery time is required in between survival surgeries. Adequate recovery time must be allowed between laparotomies. The investigator can alternate oocyte collection between left and right ovaries and consider rotation of frogs so that the interval between surgeries in any individual is maximized, but again, individual animals should be properly marked for easy identification.
Approved by IACUC: 9/16/04