Marmosets as models of infectious diseases

Abstract

Animal models of infectious disease often serve a crucial purpose in obtaining licensure of therapeutics and medical countermeasures, particularly in situations where human trials are not feasible, i.e., for those diseases that occur infrequently in the human population. The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), a Neotropical new-world (platyrrhines) non-human primate, has gained increasing attention as an animal model for a number of diseases given its small size, availability and evolutionary proximity to humans. This review aims to (i) discuss the pros and cons of the common marmoset as an animal model by providing a brief snapshot of how marmosets are currently utilized in biomedical research, (ii) summarize and evaluate relevant aspects of the marmoset immune system to the study of infectious diseases, (iii) provide a historical backdrop, outlining the significance of infectious diseases and the importance of developing reliable animal models to test novel therapeutics, and (iv) provide a summary of infectious diseases for which a marmoset model exists, followed by an in-depth discussion of the marmoset models of two studied bacterial infectious diseases (tularemia and melioidosis) and one viral infectious disease (viral hepatitis C).

Comparative pathogenesis of three Mayaro virus genotypes in the cynomolgus macaque

“…All MAYV-challenged macaques had developed MAYV-specific neutralizing antibodies by 14 dpi. Interestingly, animals infected with MAYV N and L produced significantly higher levels of neutralizing antibodies than animals infected with MAYV D. While this may be a coincidental observation, it is possible that the induction of lower neutralizing antibody titres could be related to the more robust replication in the MAYV D infection group as seen via RT-qPCR [49]. However, further studies are needed to truly determine if there are differences in neutralizing antibody responses after infection with the various MAYV genotypes.…”

“…While these studies offer a relevant reference for the development of appropriate MAYV pathogenesis models in NHPs, it is imperative to develop NHP models that are specific to MAYV to facilitate quantitative evaluations of therapeutic and/or prophylactic potency against MAYV-induced disease. Marmosets ( Callithrix argentata and Callithrix humeralifer ) experimentally infected with MAYV have been shown to develop transient and moderate viremia [49]; however, practical concerns (i.e. reagent availability) have precluded the use of these models in Mayaro virus studies to date [47].…”