Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41495464›Full record

ArticleLab animal2026

Exploration of refined humane endpoints for melioidosis in BALB/c mice.

Michael P Harris, Kay B Barnes, Thomas R Laws, Emily May, Michelle Nelson, Sarah V Harding, Thomas C Maishman

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Lab animal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Michael P HarrisDefence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK.
Kay B BarnesDefence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK.
Thomas R LawsDefence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK.
Emily MayDefence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK.
Michelle NelsonDefence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK.
Sarah V HardingDefence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK.
Thomas C MaishmanDefence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK. tmaishman@dstl.gov.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-3037-624X

Funding

United States Department of Defense | Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) HDTRA1-12-D-0003 0019
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The development of humane endpoints is critical for refining scientific studies involving animals. Body weight and clinical signs of disease data collected in four recent studies assessing medical countermeasures for utility against the disease melioidosis in mice were further analyzed. Here we used this information to ascertain whether a suitable alternative humane endpoint could be identified. A total of 66 possible alternative humane endpoints were explored, which varied the threshold values of the 'percentage body weight loss post-challenge' and 'the clinical signs over time' following cessation of treatment. The findings indicated a suitable alternative endpoint of a percentage weight loss threshold of 25%, and/or using an average total clinical signs score ≥5 over a 48-h period. This endpoint resulted in a sizeable reduction in median 'sign-days' (total clinical score multiplied by the number of days remaining in study) per mouse of 21 days (ranging from 8 to 56 between studies), while maintaining 100% sensitivity and 93% specificity (ranging from 79% to 97% between studies). In addition, the risk of altering the scientific outcome of each study remained low when utilizing this new endpoint. In conclusion, current humane endpoints in this setting can be refined without negatively impacting the key study findings.

Indexed as

Endpoint DeterminationMelioidosisAnimalsAnimal WelfareDisease Models, AnimalFemaleMiceMice, Inbred BALB CWeight Loss

Identifiers

PMID41495464
PMCPMC12867759

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.