Specific-pathogen-free
Specific-pathogen-free (SPF)
Specific-pathogen-free (pronunciation: spe-cif-ic-path-o-gen-free) is a term used in laboratory settings to describe animals that are guaranteed to be free of particular pathogens. The concept of SPF is crucial in biomedical research to ensure the validity and reliability of experimental results.
Etymology
The term "specific-pathogen-free" is derived from the English language. "Specific" refers to a distinct or particular thing, "pathogen" refers to a bacterium, virus, or other microorganisms that can cause disease, and "free" indicates the absence of something. Thus, "specific-pathogen-free" refers to the absence of specific disease-causing organisms.
Related Terms
- Pathogen: A bacterium, virus, or other microorganisms that can cause disease.
- Laboratory animal: An animal species used in research, testing, and education.
- Biomedical research: The broad area of science that involves the investigation of the biological process and the causes of disease through careful experimentation, observation, laboratory work, analysis, and testing.
- Microorganism: A microscopic organism, especially a bacterium, virus, or fungus.
Usage
The term "specific-pathogen-free" is used in the context of laboratory animal research. Animals that are specific-pathogen-free are used in experiments to ensure that the results are not skewed by the presence of pathogens that could influence the outcome.
For example, "The researchers used specific-pathogen-free mice in their study to ensure that the results were not influenced by any underlying infections."
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Specific-pathogen-free
- Wikipedia's article - Specific-pathogen-free
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