| **United        States       Department of       Agriculture****Agricultural       Research       Service****National       Agricultural       Library*****Animal        Welfare       Information Center***** | Information Resources on the Care          and Use of Insects          
1968-2004
AWIC Resource Series No. 25June 2004****

**Compiled by:**
Gregg B. Goodman, M.S.

Animal               Welfare Information Center

National Agricultural Library

U.S. Department of Agriculture

**Published by:**

U. S. Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Service

National Agricultural Library

Animal               Welfare Information Center

Beltsville, Maryland 20705

E-mail: awic@nal.usda.gov

Web site: www.nal.usda.gov/awic
Disclaimers Adult Giant Brown Cricket   Insecta > Orthoptera > Acrididae*Tropidacris*dux (Drury)   Photographer:  Ronald F. Billings Texas Forest Servicewww.insectimages.org
      

Contents   
**How to Use This Guide**
 
**Insect Models for Biomedical Research**[pdf]**Laboratory Care / Research |    Biocontrol | Toxicology****World Wide Web Resources**
 

How   to Use This Guide*

          

            Insects   offer an incredible advantage for many different fields of research. They are   relatively easy to rear and maintain. Their short life spans also allow for   reduced times to complete comprehensive experimental studies. The introductory   chapter in this publication highlights some extraordinary biomedical applications.   Since insects are so ubiquitous in modeling various complex systems such as   nervous, reproduction, digestive, and respiratory, they are the obvious choice   for alternative research strategies. Their opportunities lie vastly unexplored. 

            Insects’   biological processes are temperature dependant and they have allowed us to view   biochemical pathways and intermediate steps in ways that would be impossible   with other warm blooded animal models. They are an economical alternative to   vertebrate models and less labor intensive than more traditional laboratory   animals. From a societal standpoint, invertebrates may be more acceptable for   research than vertebrates. Many scientists, either by law or policy, are required   to consider ways to reduce the number of animals proposed for an experiment,   refine their techniques to minimize pain and distress, and replace with a non-animal   model or a phylogenetically lower species. Since research has not yet shown   invertebrate cognition of what would be considered pain in mammals and birds,   their use is also a refinement alternative.

            This   guide, *Information Resources on the Care and Use of Insects*, provides   a snapshot of how insects are being used in research and industry. The citations   included also review how they are utilized, cultured, reared, and housed in   the laboratory and elsewhere. References extracted scan the publication years   2004 to approximately 1968 and resulted from searching numerous scientific and   technical databases. The call number is included for materials in the National   Agricultural Library’s (NAL) collection. Information on how to obtain copies of articles mentioned in thebibliography are available from the National Agricultural Library'sDocument Delivery Services Branch at  http://www.nal.usda.gov/ddsb/. 

            The   websites and organizations at the end of some sections are current through August   2004. They were found by running general searches on the World Wide Web. As   sites can become outdated or relocated and new sites emerge, a general search   on one of the commercial search engines should help locate address changes or   new sites if the addresses included no longer function.

* Information included in this portion of this publication and other web-resources   sections were adapted from *Information Resources for the Care and Use of   Invertebrates* (published previously in AWIC by Michael D. Kreger, Ph.D.)   and included with his permission.

The author gratefully acknowledges the staff members of the Animal Welfare   Information Center (AWIC): Barbara Buchanan for her assistance in review of   the printed version and preparation of the web publication, D’Anna Jensen   for help with the creation of the index, and Jean Larson for editing and overall   guidance/ support.

*The Animal Welfare Information Center,  awic@nal.usda.gov  http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/Labinsects/labinsects.htm  August 4, 2004* |
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