Animal models for dengue vaccine development and testing

Na, Woonsung; Yeom, Minjoo; Choi, Il-Kyu; Yook, Heejun; Song, Daesub

To improve T-cell function in humanized mice, NOD/SCID mouse models were transplanted with human fetal liver cells and thymocytes [19] , and the use of antiviral agents in these mice has been shown to be effective [20] . STAT -/mice showed susceptibility to DENV type 2 and presented viruses in plasma, the liver, spleen, and nervous system as well as bleeding, blood vessel leakage, etc. [21, 22] . However, since this mouse model shows symptoms of neurological disease, it does not properly reflect DENV infection in humans. An immunocompromised AG129 mouse model was shown to be susceptible to DENV types 2, 3, and 4 and to be easier for studying DENV disease patterns, and it is very widely used to study the efficacy of antiviral agents. Furthermore, DENV susceptibility has been demonstrated in STAT1 -/-/STAT2 -/and type1 IFN receptor (STAT1 -/-/AR -/-) mice [23] . Recently, a conditional type 1 IFN receptor knock-out mouse model was shown to have a better immune response than the existing immunocompromised model and is expected to be useful for identifying future vaccine candidates [24] .