Animal Models and Resources for Coronavirus Research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research and Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) aims to provide investigators with the resources and infrastructure they need to improve human health, including by supporting the development of animal models of human disease. The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in humans, caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strain, has compelled scientists around the world to work remarkably fast to develop vaccines and therapeutics using animal models. This page offers information and resources for investigators using animal models to study SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) that led to significant outbreaks during the early 2000s and mid-2010s, respectively.

• Susceptible Animal Species and Animal Models for Coronavirus Research
• ORIP, NIH and Other Resources for Coronaviruses Research
  • Nonhuman Primates
  • Rodents
  • Other Animal Models for Coronavirus Research
• Updates and Current Research from ORIP Grantees
  • National Primate Research Centers
  • Mutant Mouse Research and Resource Centers
  • Other ORIP Grantees
• Other Tools and Resources

Susceptible Animal Species and Animal Models for Coronavirus Research

For a given disease, such as COVID-19, researchers strive to develop animal models that mimic the human course of the disease. Animal models of human disease should have a route of infection, severity of disease, and morbidity and mortality levels that are similar to the human course of the disease.

Animals that are susceptible to or have been used as animal models to study SARS-CoV-2 include cat, ferret, fruit bat, hACE2 mouse, hamster, nonhuman primate, and tree shrew. Figure 1 below illustrates the host range of SARS-CoV-2 and the animals susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and Table 1 provides information and references on these animals.

Animal models that are susceptible to or have been used as animal models to study other coronaviruses include chicken, dog, duck, hACE2 mouse, hDPP4 mouse, lung-only mouse, and pig. Table 2 below provides information and references on these animals.

Figure 1. Host range of SARS-CoV-2 and animals susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. (From: Hossain MG, Javed A, Akter S, et al. SARS-CoV-2 host diversity: An update of natural infections and experimental evidence. J Microbiol Immunol Infect 2020;S1684-1182(20)30147-X. doi:10.1016/j.jmii.2020.06.006.)

Table 1. Animal species susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Table 2. Animal species susceptible to other coronaviruses

Select References—Animal Models for Coronavirus Research

• Abdel-Moneim AS, Abdelwhab, EM. Evidence for SARS-CoV-2 infection of animal hosts. Pathogens 2020;9(7):E529. doi: 10.3390/pathogens9070529.
• Hossain MG, Javed A, Akter S, et al. SARS-CoV-2 host diversity: An update of natural infections and experimental evidence. J Microbiol Immunol Infect 2020;S1684-1182(20)30147-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jmii.2020.06.006.
• Lakdawala SS, Menachery VD. The search for a COVID-19 animal model. Science 2020;368(6494):942–3. doi: 10.1126/science.abc6141.
• Shi J, Wen Z, Zhong G, et al. Susceptibility of ferrets, cats, dogs, and other domesticated animals to SARS–coronavirus 2. Science 2020;368(6494):1016–20. doi: 10.1126/science.abb7015.
• Wu C, Zheng M, Yang Y, et al. In silico analysis of intermediate hosts and susceptible animals of SARS-CoV-2. ChemRxiv. doi: 10.26434/chemrxiv.12057996.v1.
• Song Z, Xu Y, Bao L, et al. From SARS to MERS, thrusting coronaviruses into the spotlight. Viruses 2019;11(1):59. doi: 10.3390/v11010059.
• Gretebeck LM, Subbarao K. Animal models for SARS and MERS coronaviruses. Curr Opin Virol 2015;13:123–9. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2015.06.009.

ORIP, NIH and Other Resources for Coronaviruses Research

ORIP and the NIH have a range of resources available to assist the biomedical community in its research to combat coronaviruses. The resources below include general information, links to details on animal models and their uses, and references.