The following are generalized guidelines to adhere to when performing monoclonal or polyclonal antibody production. It has long been recognized that the procedures involved in antibody production for research may result in discomfort, distress or pain to the animal. Selection of appropriate species and strains may result in improved antibody harvesting which should lead to a reduction in overall animal numbers. Consideration and selection of adjuvants may minimize discomfort or pain to the animal being immunized.
Some adjuvants cause severe inflammatory reactions after injection.
Alternatives to these adjuvants should be evaluated and trial use of less inflammatory adjuvants attempted. Should CFA be the appropriate adjuvant, it may only be used for the first antigen injection. Subsequent boosters should use incomplete Freund's adjuvant or an alternative. Excessive contamination of the antigen with byproducts may also reduce the stability of the adjuvant-antigen preparation. Extremes of pH should be avoided in order to reduce possible inflammation post-injection.