Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
Viruses. 2024 Sep 7;16(9):1432. doi: 10.3390/v16091432.
For nearly twenty years, gnotobiotic (Gn) pigs have been used as a model of human norovirus (HuNoV) infection and disease. Unique in their ability to develop diarrhea and shed virus post oral challenge, Gn pigs have since been used to evaluate the infectivity of several genogroup II HuNoV strains. Nearly all major pandemic GII.4 variants have been tested in Gn pigs, with varying rates of infectivity. Some induce an asymptomatic state despite being shed in large quantities in stool, and others induce high incidence of both diarrhea and virus shedding. Non-GII.4 strains, including GII.12 and GII.6, have also been evaluated in Gn pigs. Again, rates of diarrhea and virus shedding tend to vary between studies. Several factors may influence these findings, including age, dosage, biological host factors, or bacterial presence. The impact of these factors is nuanced and requires further evaluation to elucidate the exact mechanisms behind increases or decreases in infection rates. Regardless, the value of Gn pig models in HuNoV research cannot be understated, and the model will surely continue to contribute to the field in years to come.
近二十年来，无菌（Gn）猪一直被用作人类诺如病毒（HuNoV）感染和疾病的模型。Gn 猪具有在口服感染后发展为腹泻并排出病毒的独特能力，此后一直被用于评估几种基因 II 组 HuNoV 株的感染力。几乎所有主要的大流行 GII.4 变体都在 Gn 猪中进行了测试，其感染率各不相同。有些尽管在粪便中大量排出，但仍处于无症状状态，而另一些则导致高比例的腹泻和病毒排出。非 GII.4 株，包括 GII.12 和 GII.6，也在 Gn 猪中进行了评估。同样，腹泻和病毒排出的发生率在不同的研究中也存在差异。有几个因素可能会影响这些发现，包括年龄、剂量、宿主生物因素或细菌存在。这些因素的影响是微妙的，需要进一步评估才能阐明感染率增加或降低的确切机制。无论如何，Gn 猪模型在 HuNoV 研究中的价值不可低估，该模型在未来几年肯定会继续为该领域做出贡献。
