Table 5 Summary of studies using ferrets, cat, and dog models of SARS-CoV-2 infection
From: Evidence of a wide gap between COVID-19 in humans and animal models: a systematic review
Species (ref) | Number age (gender) | Virus strain dose* (inoculation route)†| Clinical signs & observation duration (DPI)§ | Viral replication‡ (DPI) | Pathology & sacrificing date (DPI) | Immune response | Seroconversion (DPI) | Outcome measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ferrets | n = 12 | NMC-nCoV02/Korea | Increased body temperature | Nose, saliva, urine, and feces | Acute bronchiolitis | NA‡ | IgG and serum-neutralizing antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (12) | Pathogenesis of COVID-19 |
Infiltrates of immune cells and debris (4) | ||||||||
12–20 months | 105.5 TCID50 | Reduced activity ` |  | (4, 8, 12) | ||||
Assess viral transmission | ||||||||
M/F | IN | occasional coughs (12) | Trachea, lung, kidney, serum, and intestine (2) | |||||
n = 12 | Control | NO (12) | NO | NO (4, 8, 12) | NO | NO | ||
12–20 months |  | |||||||
M/F | Â | |||||||
Kim et al. (2020) [60] | n = 6 (naïve direct contact) | Direct contact | Increased body temperature (12) | All animals were infected (2) | (12) |  | IgG and serum-neutralizing antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (12) | |
n = 6 (naïve indirect contact) | Indirect contacts | No increased body temperature (12) | Nose, feces (2 out of 6 animals) (4) | (12) |  | IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (12) Serum-neutralizing antibody response in 1 out of 6 | ||
Ferrets Blanco-Melo et al. (2020) [61] | n = 6 | USA-WA1/2020 | NA (14) | Nose, trachea | NA (3, 14) | Reduced interferon type I and III response | NA | Host interferon response |
4 months | 5 × 104 PFU | (3,7) |  | |||||
Castrated male | IN | Â | Increase proinflammatory chemokines and cytokines response | |||||
Ferrets Richard et al. (2020) [62] | n = 4 | BetaCoV/Munich/BavPat1/2020 | NA (21) | Nose, throat, rectum | NA (21) | NA | IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (21) | Viral transmission |
6Â months (F) | 6.105 TCID50 | |||||||
Donor | IN | |||||||
n = 4 | 6 h post-inoculation co-housed with donor | NA (21) | Nose, throat, rectum (1) | NA (21) | NA | IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (21) | ||
6Â months (F) | ||||||||
direct contact | ||||||||
n = 4 | 1 dpi placed in an opposite cage (10 cm) of donor | NA (21) | Nose, throat, rectum (3) | NA (21) | NA | IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (21) | ||
6Â months (F) | ||||||||
Indirect contact | ||||||||
Ferrets | n = 10 | SARS-CoV-2 /F13/environment/2020/Wuhan | Fever | Nose, throat, and rectum (low titer) (4–8) | Severe lymphoplasmacytic, perivasculitis |  | IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (13) | Pathogenesis of COVID-19 |
3–4 months F |  | Loss of appetite (20) |  | Vasculitis | NA | |||
SARS-CoV2/CTan/human/2020/Wuhan] | Â | Â | Increased type II pneumocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils in the alveolar septa and alveolar lumen. | |||||
105 PFU | Â | Â | Mild peribronchitis (13) | |||||
IN | Â | Â | (4, 20) | |||||
n = 8 | SARS-CoV2/CTan/human/2020/Wuhan] | NA (14) | Nose, throat (2–8) | NA (2, 4, 8, 14) | NA | NA | ||
3–4 months | 105 PFU | |||||||
F | IT | |||||||
Cats | n = 10 | SARS-CoV-2 /CTan/human/2020/Wuhan | NA (20) | Nose, soft palate, tonsil, trachea, lungs, and small intestines. | NA (3, 6, 10, 20) | NA | IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (10) | |
6–9 months | 105 PFU | |||||||
M\F | IN | |||||||
Sub-adult | ||||||||
n = 10 | SARS-CoV-2 /CTan/human/2020/Wuhan | One cat died (3) (12) | Nose, soft palate, tonsil, trachea, lungs, and small intestines. | Extensive nasal, tonsil, tracheal, lung, and small intestine epithelial mucosal lesions (3) (3, 6, 11,12) | NA | IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (10) | ||
70–100 days | 105 PFU | |||||||
M/F | IN | |||||||
Juvenile | ||||||||
Dogs | n = 5 | SARS-CoV-2-2/CTan/human/2020/Wuhan | NA | Rectum (2/5) | NA | NA | IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (14) | |
3-month beagles | 105 PFU | |||||||
IN, | ||||||||
Shi et al. (2020) [63] | n = 2 | Exposed to donor | NA | No | NA | NA | No | |
3 month | ||||||||
Beagles |