[Advances in the Animal Models of MERS-CoV].

Abstract

The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was first isolated in 2012 from patients that died from severe pneumonia. It was another coronavirus which resulted in severe infection of humans, apart from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. The development of an appropriate animal model is necessary to study the pathogenesis and to evaluate the intervening measures against MERS-CoV infection. To date, several small animals(e.g., mice, Syrian hamsters, and ferrets) have been used to study MERS-CoV infection. In addition, rhesus macaques, common marmosets, and dromedary camels were also utilized as the models for MERS-CoV study. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the animal models mentioned above, to provide a thorough understanding of the MERS-CoV study.