TY - JOUR
T1 - A Review of Nonhuman Primate Models of Rift Valley Fever Virus Infection
T2 - Progress, Challenge Strains, and Future Directions
AU - Ebisine, Kimimuepigha
AU - Quist, Darcy
AU - Findlay-Wilson, Stephen
AU - Kennedy, Emma
AU - Dowall, Stuart
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/10
Y1 - 2024/10
N2 - Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral disease that primarily affects animals, especially ruminants, but has the capacity to infect humans and result in outbreaks. Infection with the causative agent, RVF virus (RVFV), causes severe disease in domestic animals, especially sheep, resulting in fever, anorexia, immobility, abortion, and high morbidity and mortality rates in neonate animals. Humans become infected through exposure to infected animals and, less frequently, directly via a mosquito bite. A greater awareness of RVFV and its epidemic potential has resulted in increased investment in the development of interventions, especially vaccines. There is currently no substitute for the use of animal models in order to evaluate these vaccines. As outbreaks of RVF disease are difficult to predict or model, conducting Phase III clinical trials will likely not be feasible. Therefore, representative animal model systems are essential for establishing efficacy data to support licensure. Nonhuman primate (NHP) species are often chosen due to their closeness to humans, reflecting similar susceptibility and disease kinetics. This review covers the use of NHP models in RVFV research, with much of the work having been conducted in rhesus macaques and common marmosets. The future direction of RVF work conducted in NHP is discussed in anticipation of the importance of it being a key element in the development and approval of a human vaccine.
AB - Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral disease that primarily affects animals, especially ruminants, but has the capacity to infect humans and result in outbreaks. Infection with the causative agent, RVF virus (RVFV), causes severe disease in domestic animals, especially sheep, resulting in fever, anorexia, immobility, abortion, and high morbidity and mortality rates in neonate animals. Humans become infected through exposure to infected animals and, less frequently, directly via a mosquito bite. A greater awareness of RVFV and its epidemic potential has resulted in increased investment in the development of interventions, especially vaccines. There is currently no substitute for the use of animal models in order to evaluate these vaccines. As outbreaks of RVF disease are difficult to predict or model, conducting Phase III clinical trials will likely not be feasible. Therefore, representative animal model systems are essential for establishing efficacy data to support licensure. Nonhuman primate (NHP) species are often chosen due to their closeness to humans, reflecting similar susceptibility and disease kinetics. This review covers the use of NHP models in RVFV research, with much of the work having been conducted in rhesus macaques and common marmosets. The future direction of RVF work conducted in NHP is discussed in anticipation of the importance of it being a key element in the development and approval of a human vaccine.
KW - model
KW - nonhuman primate
KW - rift valley fever
KW - vaccine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85207494458&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/pathogens13100856
DO - 10.3390/pathogens13100856
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85207494458
SN - 2076-0817
VL - 13
JO - Pathogens
JF - Pathogens
IS - 10
M1 - 856
ER -