Tuberculosis testing in non-human primates involves intradermal injection and eyelid reading that causes distress. Welfare refinements can significantly reduce the stress associated with mandatory testing protocols.
Mandatory tuberculosis testing creates repeated and predictable welfare harms in primate research colonies. The combination of capture stress, injection discomfort, and repeated handling for result reading affects primates who must undergo this process annually or more frequently throughout their years-long residency in research facilities. Validated blood-based alternatives to the eyelid skin test provide equivalent or superior diagnostic sensitivity in some species while reducing handling requirements. Positive reinforcement training for voluntary presentation to testing procedures represents the most significant available refinement, allowing trained primates to participate cooperatively in testing that would otherwise require physical restraint. Institutional investment in training programs is justified by welfare benefits and improved data quality from less stressed animals.