An overview of preclinical animal models for SARS-CoV-2 pathogenicity

Indian J Med Res. 2021 Jan & Feb;153(1 & 2):17-25. doi: 10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_3215_20.ABSTRACTSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 has caused millions of fatalities globally since its origin in November 2019. The SARS-CoV-2 shares 79 and 50 per cent genome similarity with its predecessors, severe SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, all belonging to the same genus, Betacoronavirus. This relatively new virus has stymied the effective control of COVID-19 pandemic and caused huge social and economic impact worldwide. The FDA-approved drugs were re-purposed to reduce the number of fatalities caused by SARS-CoV-2. However, controversy surrounds about the efficacy of these re-purposed antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2.This necessitates the identification of new drug targets for SARS-CoV-2. Hence, the development of pre-clinical animal model is warranted. Such animal models may help us gain better understanding of the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection and will be effective tools for the evaluation and licensure of therapeutic strategies against SARS-CoV-2. This review provides a summary of the attempts made till to develop a suitable animal model to understand pathophysiology and effectiveness of therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2.PMID:33818465 | DOI:10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_3215_20
Source: Indian J Med Res - Category: Research Authors: Source Type: research