Alternatives
The Limulus amoebocyte lysate assay (LAL) is an ‘in vitro’ method that can be used for detecting bacterial pyrogens and is recognized by regulatory authorities in both Europe and the USA as an alternative to the rabbit pyrogenicity test. Indeed, European guidelines stress the alternative should be used in preference to the rabbit test in many cases.
The SNAP-25 assay, a method that does not use live animals but instead measures the activity of the toxin in a test tube, can be used to replace the botox mouse LD50 tests. The BUAV believes that under UK law this test should be used because the Home Office has a duty not to license tests when a non-animal method is available.
Furthermore, this test has been validated by an official UK government laboratory specifically for the type of botox used at Wickham and has been used by them since 1999. Inexplicably, the UK Home Office is not insisting on this test at Wickham even after all these years. < Back
