Wu 2024 describes The Coronavirus Infected Animal Models Database (COVID-AMD), developed by the Institute of Laboratory Animal Science in Beijing, that catalogs and compares coronavirus animal infection models in terms of transmission, pathophysiology, and therapeutic development. The database currently includes 860+ models across ~30 species and 310+ virus strains, and offers advanced search capabilities, tools for comparative analysis, model recommendations, and omics data exploration to enhance research on viral pathogenesis and immune responses.
Milestone
4.1.f
Transmission dynamics
In progress
Conduct side-by-side comparisons of various animal models to determine transmission dynamics and identify suitable species for studying SARS-CoV-2 variants and other coronaviruses.
Progress Highlights
Li 2023 investigated the susceptibility of various animal species to SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV through an in vitro infection analysis using pseudotyped viruses, noting that:
- SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV exhibit varying susceptibilities across models, with Thomas’s horseshoe bats, ferrets, and green monkeys showing the highest susceptibility.
- Green monkeys, ferrets, Syrian hamsters, genetically modified mice, and mink serve as the best models for studying SARS-CoV-2 infection, transmission, and variant evolution due to their demonstrated susceptibility.
- Specific spike protein mutations significantly influence host susceptibility by altering viral entry efficiency, with some mutations enhancing infectivity in certain species.
- Host susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV is influenced by the expression of key genes (e.g. PZDK1, APOBEC3), with viral entry factors like CTSL playing a more significant role than ACE2 or TMPRSS2 in determining cross-species transmission.