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An In vitro Model to Study Immune Responses of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells to Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection
Published on: December 10, 2013
Experimental animal models for development of human enterovirus vaccine
1School of Biopharmaceutical and Medical Sciences, Sungshin Women's University, Seoul, Korea.
Insights
Enterovirus infections cause severe diseases in children, necessitating new vaccines. This review examines current and emerging animal models for enterovirus research, highlighting their pros and cons.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
- Animal Models
Background:
- Enterovirus infections, including hand, foot, and mouth disease, pose a global health threat, especially to young children.
- Severe cases can lead to serious complications like encephalitis, paralysis, and fatality.
- Current therapeutic strategies are limited, driving the need for vaccine development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of current animal models for enterovirus infection research.
- To analyze the advantages and limitations of each model.
- To discuss the potential of emerging models for future studies.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on enterovirus infection models.
- Analysis of non-human primate, mouse, and Mongolian gerbil models.
- Evaluation of genetically modified mouse models expressing human cellular receptors.
Main Results:
- Non-human primates historically served as models but face economic and ethical constraints.
- Mouse models, including those with adapted strains or genetic modifications, are currently used.
- The Mongolian gerbil is emerging as a promising model for enterovirus research.
Conclusions:
- No single animal model perfectly replicates human enterovirus infections.
- Each model presents unique advantages and limitations that must be considered.
- Further development and validation of models like the Mongolian gerbil are crucial for advancing vaccine research.
Abstract:
Enterovirus infections induce infectious diseases in young children, such as hand, foot, and mouth disease which is characterized by highly contagious rashes or blisters around the hands, feet, buttocks, and mouth. This predominantly arises from enterovirus A71 or coxsackievirus A16 infections and in severe cases, they can lead to encephalitis, paralysis, pulmonary edema, or even fatality, representing a global health threat. Due to the absence of effective therapeutic strategies for these infections, various experimental animal models are being investigated for the development of vaccines. During the early stages of research on enterovirus infections, non-human primate infections exhibited symptoms like those in humans, leading to their utilization as model animals. However, due to economic and ethical considerations, their current usage is limited. While enterovirus infections do not readily occur in mice, an infection model with mouse-adapted strain in neonatal mice has been employed. Cellular receptors have been identified in human cells, and genetically modified mice expressing these receptors have been used. Most recently, the utilization of Mongolian gerbil model is actively being considered and should be pursued for further animal model development. So, herein, we provide a summarized overview of the current portfolio of available enterovirus infection models, emphasizing their respective advantages and limitations.
