Open AccessOverview of Nonhuman Primate Models of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Author(s) -
Anita Trichel
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
comparative medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2769-819X
pISSN - 1532-0820
DOI - 10.30802/aalas-cm-20-000119
Subject(s) - pandemic , covid-19 , disease , nonhuman primate , betacoronavirus , animal model , medicine , virology , biology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology , outbreak , evolutionary biology , endocrinology
COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 betacoronavirus, was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. Since then, SARS-CoV-2 has triggered a devastating global health and economic emergency. In response, a broad range of preclinical animal models have been used to identify effective therapies and vaccines. Current animal models do not express the full spectrum of human COVID-19 disease and pathology, with most exhibiting mild to moderate disease without mortality. NHPs are physiologically, genetically, and immunologically more closely related to humans than other animal species; thus, they provide a relevant model for SARS-CoV-2 investigations. This overview summarizes NHP models of SARS-CoV-2 and their role in vaccine and therapeutic development.