The Cotton Rat: An Underutilized Animal Model for Human Infectious Diseases Can Now Be Exploited Using Specific Reagents to Cytokines, Chemokines, and Interferons

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge C. G. Blanco ◽  
Lioubov Pletneva ◽  
Marina Boukhvalova ◽  
Joann Y. Richardson ◽  
Katie A. Harris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Cotton Rat

scholarly journals Syrian Hamster as an Animal Model for the Study on Infectious Diseases

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinxin Miao ◽  
Louisa S. Chard ◽  
Zhimin Wang ◽  
Yaohe Wang
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Syrian Hamster

scholarly journals Zebrafish Models for Pathogenic Vibrios

2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhrubajyoti Nag ◽  
Dustin A. Farr ◽  
Madison G. Walton ◽  
Jeffrey H. Withey
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Danio Rerio ◽  
Aquatic Environment ◽  
Transgenic Fish ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Highly Pathogenic ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fish Model ◽  
Pathogenic Vibrios

ABSTRACT Vibrio is a large and diverse genus of bacteria, of which most are nonpathogenic species found in the aquatic environment. However, a subset of the Vibrio genus includes several species that are highly pathogenic, either to humans or to aquatic animals. In recent years, Danio rerio, commonly known as the zebrafish, has emerged as a major animal model used for studying nearly every aspect of biology, including infectious diseases. Zebrafish are especially useful because the embryos are transparent, larvae are small and facilitate imaging studies, and numerous transgenic fish strains have been constructed. Zebrafish models for several pathogenic Vibrio species have been described, and indeed a fish model is highly relevant for the study of aquatic bacterial pathogens. Here, we summarize the zebrafish models that have been used to study pathogenic Vibrio species to date.

scholarly journals The Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus) Is a Permissive Small Animal Model of Human Metapneumovirus Infection, Pathogenesis, and Protective Immunity

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (17) ◽  
pp. 10944-10951 ◽  
Author(s):  
John V. Williams ◽  
Sharon J. Tollefson ◽  
Joyce E. Johnson ◽  
James E. Crowe
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Guinea Pigs ◽  
Small Animal ◽  
Human Metapneumovirus ◽  
Small Animal Model ◽  
Cotton Rat ◽  
Nasal Tissue ◽  
Hmpv Infection ◽  
Cotton Rats

ABSTRACT Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a newly described paramyxovirus that is an important cause of acute respiratory tract disease. We undertook to develop a small animal model of hMPV infection, pathogenesis, and protection. Hamsters, guinea pigs, cotton rats, and nine inbred strains of mice were inoculated intranasally with hMPV. The animals were sacrificed, and nasal and lung tissue virus yields were determined by plaque titration. None of the animals exhibited respiratory symptoms. The quantity of virus present in the nasal tissue ranged from 4.6 × 102 PFU/gram tissue (C3H mice) to greater than 105 PFU/gram (hamster). The amount of virus in the lungs was considerably less than in nasal tissue in each species tested, ranging from undetectable (<5 PFU/g; guinea pigs) to 1.8 × 105 PFU/gram (cotton rat). The peak virus titer in cotton rat lungs occurred on day 4 postinfection. hMPV-infected cotton rat lungs examined on day 4 postinfection exhibited histopathological changes consisting of peribronchial inflammatory infiltrates. Immunohistochemical staining detected virus only at the luminal surfaces of respiratory epithelial cells throughout the respiratory tract. hMPV-infected cotton rats mounted virus-neutralizing antibody responses and were partially protected against virus shedding and lung pathology on subsequent rechallenge with hMPV. Viral antigen was undetectable in the lungs on challenge of previously infected animals. This study demonstrates that the cotton rat is a permissive small animal model of hMPV infection that exhibits lung histopathology associated with infection and that primary infection protected animals against subsequent infection. This model will allow further in vivo studies of hMPV pathogenesis and evaluation of vaccine candidates.

scholarly journals Microbial Community Structure and Composition is Associated With Host Species and Sex in Sigmodon Cotton Rats

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britton Strickland ◽  
Mira Patel ◽  
Meghan H. Shilts ◽  
Helen H. Boone ◽  
Arash Kamali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Small Animal ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Small Animal Model ◽  
Cotton Rat ◽  
Cotton Rats ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: The cotton rat (genus Sigmodon) is an essential small animal model for the study of human infectious disease and viral therapeutic development. However, the impact of the host microbiome on infection outcomes has not been explored in this model, partly due to the lack of a comprehensive characterization of microbial communities across different cotton rat species. Understanding the dynamics of their microbiome could significantly help to better understand its role during when modeling viral infections in this small animal model.Results: We examined the bacterial communities of the gut and three external sites (skin, ear, and nose) of two inbred species of cotton rats commonly used in research (S. hispidus and S. fulviventer) by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, constituting the first comprehensive catalog of the cotton rat microbiome. We showed that S. fulviventer maintained higher alpha diversity and richness than S. hispidus at external sites (skin, ear, nose), but there were no differentially abundant genera. However, S. fulviventer and S. hispidus had distinct fecal microbiomes composed of several significantly differentially abundant genera. Whole metagenomic shotgun sequencing of fecal samples identified species-level differences between S. hispidus and S. fulviventer, as well as different metabolic pathway functions as a result of differential host microbiome contributions. Furthermore, the microbiome composition of the external sites showed significant sex-based differences while fecal communities were not largely different. Conclusions: Our study shows that host genetic background potentially exerts homeostatic pressures, resulting in distinct microbiomes for two different inbred cotton rat species. Because of the numerous studies that have uncovered strong relationships between host microbiome, viral infection outcomes, and immune responses, our findings represent a strong contribution for understanding the impact of different microbial communities on viral pathogenesis. Furthermore, we provide novel cotton rat microbiome data as a springboard to uncover the full therapeutic potential of the microbiome against viral infections.

scholarly journals Sexual dimorphism in campylobacteriosis

2007 ◽  
Vol 136 (11) ◽  
pp. 1492-1495 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. C. STRACHAN ◽  
R. O. WATSON ◽  
V. NOVIK ◽  
D. HOFREUTER ◽  
I. D. OGDEN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Gender Bias ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Male Mice ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
Physiological Factors

SUMMARYSexual dimorphism in infectious diseases whereby disease incidence is more prevalent in one gender has been reported repeatedly in the scientific literature. Both behavioural and physiological differences have been suggested as a cause of this gender bias but there is a paucity of data to support either of these viewpoints. Here it is hypothesized that for campylobacteriosis physiological factors play an important role in the higher incidence in males. We demonstrate in the human population (from several countries in three continents) that this bias exists in young children (<1 year) where behavioural differences between genders are likely to be minimal. Further we demonstrate this difference in an animal model where both infection rates and shedding rates of the organism are greater in male mice.

scholarly journals Identification and Characterisation of the CD40-Ligand ofSigmodon hispidus

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marsha S. Russell ◽  
Abenaya Muralidharan ◽  
Louise Larocque ◽  
Jingxin Cao ◽  
Yvon Deschambault ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Dendritic Cells ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cd40 Ligand ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Activated T Cells ◽  
Cotton Rat ◽  
Gene And Protein Expression ◽  
Cotton Rats

AbstractCotton rats are an important animal model to study infectious diseases. They have demonstrated higher susceptibility to a wider variety of human pathogens than other rodents and are also the animal model of choice for pre-clinical evaluations of some vaccine candidates. However, the genome of cotton rats remains to be fully sequenced, with much fewer genes cloned and characterised compared to other rodent species. Here we report the cloning and characterization of CD40 ligand, whose human and murine counterparts are known to be expressed on a range of cell types including activated T cells and B cells, dendritic cells, granulocytes, macrophages and platelets and exerts a broad array of immune responses. The cDNA for cotton rat CD40L we isolated is comprised of 1104 nucleotides with an open reading frame (ORF) of 783bp coding for a 260 amino acid protein. The recombinant cotton rat CD40L protein was recognized by an antibody against mouse CD40L. Moreover, it demonstrated functional activities on immature bone marrow dendritic cells by upregulating surface maturation markers (CD40, CD54, CD80, and CD86), and increasing IL-6 gene and protein expression. The availability of CD40L gene identity could greatly facilitate mechanistic research on pathogen-induced-immunopathogenesis and vaccine-elicited immune responses.

scholarly journals Microbial community structure and composition is associated with host species and sex in Sigmodon cotton rats

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Britton A. Strickland ◽  
Mira C. Patel ◽  
Meghan H. Shilts ◽  
Helen H. Boone ◽  
Arash Kamali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Cotton Rat ◽  
Cotton Rats ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Comprehensive Characterization

Abstract Background The cotton rat (genus Sigmodon) is an essential small animal model for the study of human infectious disease and viral therapeutic development. However, the impact of the host microbiome on infection outcomes has not been explored in this model, partly due to the lack of a comprehensive characterization of microbial communities across different cotton rat species. Understanding the dynamics of their microbiome could significantly help to better understand its role when modeling viral infections in this animal model. Results We examined the bacterial communities of the gut and three external sites (skin, ear, and nose) of two inbred species of cotton rats commonly used in research (S. hispidus and S. fulviventer) by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, constituting the first comprehensive characterization of the cotton rat microbiome. We showed that S. fulviventer maintained higher alpha diversity and richness than S. hispidus at external sites (skin, ear, nose), but there were no differentially abundant genera. However, S. fulviventer and S. hispidus had distinct fecal microbiomes composed of several significantly differentially abundant genera. Whole metagenomic shotgun sequencing of fecal samples identified species-level differences between S. hispidus and S. fulviventer, as well as different metabolic pathway functions as a result of differential host microbiome contributions. Furthermore, the microbiome composition of the external sites showed significant sex-based differences while fecal communities were not largely different. Conclusions Our study shows that host genetic background potentially exerts homeostatic pressures, resulting in distinct microbiomes for two different inbred cotton rat species. Because of the numerous studies that have uncovered strong relationships between host microbiome, viral infection outcomes, and immune responses, our findings represent a strong contribution for understanding the impact of different microbial communities on viral pathogenesis. Furthermore, we provide novel cotton rat microbiome data as a springboard to uncover the full therapeutic potential of the microbiome against viral infections.

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