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Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Evaluation of Zika Virus-specific T-cell Responses in Immunoprivileged Organs of Infected Ifnar1-/- Mice
Published on: October 17, 2018
Type I interferon receptor knockout mice as models for infection of highly pathogenic viruses with outbreak potential
Gary Wong1,2,3,4, Xiang-Guo Qiu3,4
1Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, State Key Discipline of Infectious Disease, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen Guangzhou 518020, China. garyckwong@hotmail.com.
Abstract:
Due to their inability to generate a complete immune response, mice knockout for type I interferon (IFN) receptors (Ifnar) are more susceptible to viral infections, and are thus commonly used for pathogenesis studies. This mouse model has been used to study many diseases caused by highly pathogenic viruses from many families, including the Flaviviridae, Filoviridae, Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae, Henipaviridae, and Togaviridae. In this review, we summarize the findings from these animal studies, and discuss the pros and cons of using this model versus other known methods for studying pathogenesis in animals.
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