Animal models in influenza vaccine testing

Abstract

The threat of a pandemic outbreak of influenza A H5N1 and H2N2 has brought attention to the development of new vaccines. Regulatory authorities require companies to provide data proving the effectiveness of vaccines, which cannot, however, be based on real efficacy data in humans. A weight-of-evidence approach may be used, based on evidence of protection in an appropriate animal model and the satisfaction of the surrogate end points in the clinical situation. In this review, we will discuss various animal species that can be infected with influenza. The main animals used for testing vaccines destined for human use are laboratory mice and ferrets and, to a lesser extent, macaques. We will focus particularly on these species.

Keywords::

• animal model
• disease end point
• ferret
• influenza vaccine
• macaque
• mouse
• pandemic

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.