CPCSEA guidelines for maintenance, breeding and use of laboratory animals MCQs With Answer

Introduction: Understanding CPCSEA guidelines for maintenance, breeding and use of laboratory animals is essential for B.Pharm students involved in preclinical research. These Indian regulations cover Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) roles, facility standards, housing, environmental enrichment, nutrition, veterinary care, breeding program protocols, quarantine, record-keeping and humane endpoints. Emphasis on the 3Rs — Replacement, Reduction and Refinement — ensures responsible animal use, welfare monitoring, pain mitigation and approved euthanasia. Familiarity with CPCSEA registration, approvals, periodic inspections, training requirements and documentation helps students design compliant, reproducible studies and promotes animal welfare. Clear understanding supports ethical research careers and strengthens regulatory compliance in pharmaceutical practice. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. What does CPCSEA stand for?

• Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals
• Central Panel for Care and Safety of Experimental Animals
• Committee for Prevention of Cruelty to Small Experimental Animals
• Central Protocol for Care and Supervision of Ethical Animals

Correct Answer: Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals

Q2. Which body must approve all experimental protocols involving animals under CPCSEA rules?

• Institutional Review Board (IRB)
• Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC)
• Central Drug Authority (CDA)
• National Biosafety Committee

Correct Answer: Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC)

Q3. Which principle is NOT one of the 3Rs emphasized by CPCSEA?

• Replacement
• Reduction
• Refinement
• Repetition

Correct Answer: Repetition

Q4. CPCSEA guidelines require which of the following for breeding facilities?

• Registration with CPCSEA and maintenance of detailed breeding records
• Only visual inspection by staff, no documentation required
• Outsourced breeding without oversight
• No quarantine for newly arrived animals

Correct Answer: Registration with CPCSEA and maintenance of detailed breeding records

Q5. What is the primary role of the IAEC in a research institution?

• Approving funding for animal studies
• Reviewing and approving animal use protocols to ensure ethical compliance
• Hiring laboratory personnel
• Manufacturing animal feed

Correct Answer: Reviewing and approving animal use protocols to ensure ethical compliance

Q6. Under CPCSEA, how should pain and distress be managed in experimental animals?

• Pain can be ignored if essential for study outcomes
• Pain and distress must be minimized using analgesia, anesthesia and humane endpoints
• Painful procedures are allowed without oversight for teaching labs
• Analgesics are prohibited to avoid data interference

Correct Answer: Pain and distress must be minimized using analgesia, anesthesia and humane endpoints

Q7. Which documentation is essential for CPCSEA compliance?

• Breeding records, experimental logs, health records and disposal records
• Only annual financial reports
• Student attendance sheets
• Marketing brochures for the facility

Correct Answer: Breeding records, experimental logs, health records and disposal records

Q8. What is the purpose of quarantine for newly procured animals?

• To reduce feeding costs
• To acclimatize animals, prevent disease spread and allow health screening
• To maximize breeding immediately
• To avoid veterinary inspection

Correct Answer: To acclimatize animals, prevent disease spread and allow health screening

Q9. CPCSEA classifies experiments by severity. Which category indicates procedures expected to cause the highest pain or distress?

• Mild
• Moderate
• Severe
• Minimal

Correct Answer: Severe

Q10. What training is required for personnel working with laboratory animals under CPCSEA?

• No training is necessary
• Formal training in animal handling, welfare, biosafety and protocol-specific procedures
• Only a written exam
• Training in marketing and public relations

Correct Answer: Formal training in animal handling, welfare, biosafety and protocol-specific procedures

Q11. Which of the following is an important element of environmental enrichment for laboratory animals?

• Deprivation of social contact for all species
• Providing species-appropriate stimuli like nesting material, shelters and social housing where applicable
• Restricting movement to reduce data variability
• Using identical barren cages for all species

Correct Answer: Providing species-appropriate stimuli like nesting material, shelters and social housing where applicable

Q12. How often does CPCSEA expect inspections or oversight of registered facilities?

• Never
• Periodic inspections by CPCSEA or designated authorities as per guidelines
• Only when a complaint is filed
• Daily inspections by CPCSEA headquarters

Correct Answer: Periodic inspections by CPCSEA or designated authorities as per guidelines

Q13. Which of the following is a mandated responsibility of the institutional veterinarian?

• Only administrative tasks and no clinical duties
• Overseeing animal health, treatment, surgical care and advising IAEC on welfare issues
• Approving financial grants
• Conducting unrelated human clinical trials

Correct Answer: Overseeing animal health, treatment, surgical care and advising IAEC on welfare issues

Q14. What must be provided to animals during long-term housing according to CPCSEA?

• Access to food and water, appropriate temperature, lighting and bedding
• Only water, no food
• Continuous bright light and no bedding
• Irregular feeding schedules to simulate stress

Correct Answer: Access to food and water, appropriate temperature, lighting and bedding

Q15. Under CPCSEA, why are sentinel animals used in colonies?

• To increase breeding rates
• To monitor colony health for infectious agents and detect subclinical diseases
• To serve as experimental controls in every study
• To reduce feed costs

Correct Answer: To monitor colony health for infectious agents and detect subclinical diseases

Q16. What is required before transporting laboratory animals between facilities?

• No documentation is needed
• Proper documentation, transport conditions, and minimizing stress during transit
• Transport only at night without records
• Mandatory abandonment of quarantine rules

Correct Answer: Proper documentation, transport conditions, and minimizing stress during transit

Q17. Which action reflects the CPCSEA expectation for use of alternatives?

• Always using animals even if validated alternatives exist
• Actively considering and implementing validated non-animal alternatives where possible
• Ignoring alternatives to speed research
• Using alternatives only for classroom demonstrations

Correct Answer: Actively considering and implementing validated non-animal alternatives where possible

Q18. Which record is essential for every surgical procedure on an animal?

• Procedure details, anesthesia used, analgesia, perioperative care and post-op follow-up
• Only the surgeon’s name
• Only the date of surgery
• No records are necessary

Correct Answer: Procedure details, anesthesia used, analgesia, perioperative care and post-op follow-up

Q19. What must an IAEC consider when assigning severity classification to a protocol?

• Only the species involved
• The nature of procedures, expected pain/distress, duration and available refinement measures
• Funding amount
• Principal investigator’s experience only

Correct Answer: The nature of procedures, expected pain/distress, duration and available refinement measures

Q20. Which statement about euthanasia under CPCSEA is correct?

• Euthanasia should be performed by trained personnel using humane, approved methods
• Euthanasia may be performed only by students
• Euthanasia methods need not be humane if faster
• Euthanasia is never permitted

Correct Answer: Euthanasia should be performed by trained personnel using humane, approved methods

Q21. What is the role of CPCSEA registration for a user or breeder establishment?

• Registration is optional for small labs
• Mandatory registration ensures regulatory oversight and compliance with standards
• Only for international collaborations
• Registration is only for financial auditing

Correct Answer: Mandatory registration ensures regulatory oversight and compliance with standards

Q22. How should animal waste and carcasses be handled per CPCSEA guidelines?

• Properly segregated, treated and disposed by approved biomedical waste procedures
• Dumped with regular municipal waste
• Incineration without record-keeping
• Stored indefinitely on site

Correct Answer: Properly segregated, treated and disposed by approved biomedical waste procedures

Q23. Which factor is important when designing housing space requirements?

• Species-specific behavioral needs, group size and growth stages
• Using the smallest possible cages to save space
• Housing should always be solitary regardless of species
• Providing identical space for all species

Correct Answer: Species-specific behavioral needs, group size and growth stages

Q24. What should be done if unexpected morbidity or mortality occurs in a study?

• Ignore and continue the experiment
• Report to IAEC, document incidents, investigate causes and take corrective action
• Destroy all records to avoid scrutiny
• Only report at the end of the year

Correct Answer: Report to IAEC, document incidents, investigate causes and take corrective action

Q25. Which is a specific documentation requirement for breeding colonies?

• Records of parentage, birth dates, health status and genetic lineage
• Only annual revenue statements
• Only photographs of cages
• No record-keeping required

Correct Answer: Records of parentage, birth dates, health status and genetic lineage

Q26. For education and training purposes, what does CPCSEA recommend?

• Using live animals exclusively without considering alternatives
• Using alternatives where possible, minimising animal use and ensuring humane treatment when live animals are necessary
• Prohibiting any student interaction with animals
• Conducting experiments only off-campus

Correct Answer: Using alternatives where possible, minimising animal use and ensuring humane treatment when live animals are necessary

Q27. What element is critical in the IAEC composition as per CPCSEA?

• Only scientists from the same department
• Multidisciplinary membership including a veterinarian, external member and layperson
• Only students and junior staff
• Only a single chairperson making all decisions

Correct Answer: Multidisciplinary membership including a veterinarian, external member and layperson

Q28. Which is an example of refinement in experimental design?

• Increasing sample size without justification
• Using better analgesic protocols, less invasive techniques and improved post-op care
• Delaying treatment to observe increased suffering
• Avoiding monitoring to reduce disturbance

Correct Answer: Using better analgesic protocols, less invasive techniques and improved post-op care

Q29. What information must be included in an animal use protocol submitted to IAEC?

• Study objective, justification for animal use, species, numbers, procedures, endpoints and welfare measures
• Only the name of the sponsor
• Only a budget summary
• Only the lab address

Correct Answer: Study objective, justification for animal use, species, numbers, procedures, endpoints and welfare measures

Q30. How does CPCSEA view the role of monitoring and auditing within institutions?

• Monitoring is optional and rarely necessary
• Ongoing monitoring, internal audits and IAEC review are essential for continuous welfare compliance
• External audits only once every decade
• Only financial audits matter

Correct Answer: Ongoing monitoring, internal audits and IAEC review are essential for continuous welfare compliance

G S Sachin

I am a Registered Pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, and the founder of PharmacyFreak.com. I hold a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Science and Research. With a strong academic foundation and practical knowledge, I am committed to providing accurate, easy-to-understand content to support pharmacy students and professionals. My aim is to make complex pharmaceutical concepts accessible and useful for real-world application.

Mail- Sachin@pharmacyfreak.com