title: Animal models of viral hemorrhagic fever.
abstract: The term "viral hemorrhagic fever" (VHF) designates a syndrome of acute febrile illness, increased vascular permeability and coagulation defects which often progresses to bleeding and shock and may be fatal in a significant percentage of cases. The causative agents are some 20 different RNA viruses in the families Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae, Filoviridae and Flaviviridae, which are maintained in a variety of animal species and are transferred to humans through direct or indirect contact or by an arthropod vector. Except for dengue, which is transmitted among humans by mosquitoes, the geographic distribution of each type of VHF is determined by the range of its animal reservoir. Treatments are available for Argentine HF and Lassa fever, but no approved countermeasures have been developed against other types of VHF. The development of effective interventions is hindered by the sporadic nature of most infections and their occurrence in geographic regions with limited medical resources. Laboratory animal models that faithfully reproduce human disease are therefore essential for the evaluation of potential vaccines and therapeutics. The goal of this review is to highlight the current status of animal models that can be used to study the pathogenesis of VHF and test new countermeasures.
authors.affiliation: Southern Research Institute, Frederick, MD 21701, United States. Electronic address: smithdr@southernresearch.org.
authors.forename: Darci R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Integrated Research Facility, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD, United States.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Holbrook
authors.affiliation: Institute for Antiviral Research and Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, United States.
authors.forename: Brian B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Gowen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001116:Arenaviridae / Q000502:physiology; D002043:Bunyaviridae / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016563:Filoviridae / Q000502:physiology; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000502:physiology; D006482:Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D014765:Viral Vaccines
keywords: Animal models; Medical countermeasures; Non-human primates; Rodents; Viral hemorrhagic fever