The Bama Minipig

The use of the minipig as a non-rodent species in non-clinical research has continued to increase, although its use is still considerably less than that of the dog or the non-human primate (NHP). For certain areas of research, the physiological similarities between swine and humans make it the species of choice. The most commonly used minipig in non-clinical research is the Göttingen, available in Europe, the USA, and Japan. Other strains include the Yucatan, the Sinclair, and the Hanford minipigs used almost exclusively in the USA. There is a wide variety of literature available on individual strains and comparing combinations of these strains in terms of physiology, anatomy, metabolism, clinical pathology, and pathology. To date, there are limited comparative data between the Bama minipig and other minipig strains. In this chapter, we will present control data on body weight, clinical pathology, electrocardiography, organ weight, and histopathology from Bama minipigs, draw comparisons with publicly available data on the Göttingen minipig (Ellegaard), and discuss the applicability of the Bama strain to non-clinical research.