Experimental and Molecular Medicine (May 2018)
The wide utility of rabbits as models of human diseases
- Pedro J. Esteves,
- Joana Abrantes,
- Hanna-Mari Baldauf,
- Lbachir BenMohamed,
- Yuxing Chen,
- Neil Christensen,
- Javier González-Gallego,
- Lorenzo Giacani,
- Jiafen Hu,
- Gilla Kaplan,
- Oliver T. Keppler,
- Katherine L. Knight,
- Xiang-Peng Kong,
- Dennis K. Lanning,
- Jacques Le Pendu,
- Ana Lemos de Matos,
- Jia Liu,
- Shuying Liu,
- Ana M. Lopes,
- Shan Lu,
- Sheila Lukehart,
- Yukari C. Manabe,
- Fabiana Neves,
- Grant McFadden,
- Ruimin Pan,
- Xuwen Peng,
- Patricia de Sousa-Pereira,
- Ana Pinheiro,
- Masmudur Rahman,
- Natalie Ruvoën-Clouet,
- Selvakumar Subbian,
- Maria Jesús Tuñón,
- Wessel van der Loo,
- Michael Vaine,
- Laura E. Via,
- Shixia Wang,
- Rose Mage
Affiliations
- Pedro J. Esteves
- CIBIO, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão
- Joana Abrantes
- CIBIO, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão
- Hanna-Mari Baldauf
- Max von Pettenkofer Institute and Gene Center, Virology, National Reference Center for Retroviruses, Faculty of Medicine, LMU München
- Lbachir BenMohamed
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
- Yuxing Chen
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School
- Neil Christensen
- Departments of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Comparative Medicine, Penn State University
- Javier González-Gallego
- Institute of Biomedicine (IBIOMED) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), University of León
- Lorenzo Giacani
- Departments of Medicine and Global Health, University of Washington
- Jiafen Hu
- Departments of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Comparative Medicine, Penn State University
- Gilla Kaplan
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Oliver T. Keppler
- Max von Pettenkofer Institute and Gene Center, Virology, National Reference Center for Retroviruses, Faculty of Medicine, LMU München
- Katherine L. Knight
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago
- Xiang-Peng Kong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine
- Dennis K. Lanning
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago
- Jacques Le Pendu
- CRCINA, Inserm, Université d’Angers, Université de Nantes
- Ana Lemos de Matos
- The Biodesign Institute, Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines, and Virotherapy, Arizona State University
- Jia Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)
- Shuying Liu
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School
- Ana M. Lopes
- CIBIO, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão
- Shan Lu
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School
- Sheila Lukehart
- Departments of Medicine and Global Health, University of Washington
- Yukari C. Manabe
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Fabiana Neves
- CIBIO, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão
- Grant McFadden
- The Biodesign Institute, Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines, and Virotherapy, Arizona State University
- Ruimin Pan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine
- Xuwen Peng
- Departments of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Comparative Medicine, Penn State University
- Patricia de Sousa-Pereira
- CIBIO, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão
- Ana Pinheiro
- CIBIO, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão
- Masmudur Rahman
- The Biodesign Institute, Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines, and Virotherapy, Arizona State University
- Natalie Ruvoën-Clouet
- CRCINA, Inserm, Université d’Angers, Université de Nantes
- Selvakumar Subbian
- The Public Health Research Institute (PHRI) at New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS), Rutgers University
- Maria Jesús Tuñón
- Institute of Biomedicine (IBIOMED) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), University of León
- Wessel van der Loo
- CIBIO, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão
- Michael Vaine
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School
- Laura E. Via
- Tubercolosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
- Shixia Wang
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School
- Rose Mage
- Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-018-0094-1
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 50,
no. 5
pp. 1 – 10
Abstract
Infectious disease: A leap forward for disease models Rabbits offer a powerful complement to rodents as a model for studying human immunology, disease pathology, and responses to infectious disease. A review from Pedro Esteves at the University of Porto, Portugal, Rose Mage of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Bethesda, USA and colleagues highlights some of the areas of research where rabbits offer an edge over rats and mice. Rabbits have a particularly sophisticated adaptive immune system, which could provide useful insights into human biology and produce valuable research and clinical reagents. They are also excellent models for studying - infectious diseases such as syphilis and tuberculosis, which produce pathology that closely resembles that of human patients. Rabbit-specific infections such as myxomatosis are giving researchers insights into how pathogens and hosts can shape each other’s evolution.
