Animal models have been, and continue to be, viable tools for investigating
crucial scientific issues related to the pathogenesis of infectious diseases and serve as
living platforms for testing novel therapeutics and/or vaccines. The use of animal
models in studying infectious diseases is not only founded on the substantially shared
biology of most mammals but also on the fact that many human infections are zoonotic,
affecting a range of animal species. However, it is noticeable that the results retrieved
from animal studies are not always reproducible in studies conducted on humans. The
reliability of correlating data from animal models and translating them to human
disease succeeds only in well-designed models where their relevance to the
investigated human disease is well recognized. Preferable animal models respond
similarly to the infectious agent as in humans, where the host’s interaction with the
pathogen creates the same immunological and molecular environment. Several animal
models have been designed to investigate the different aspects of the infectious process,
such as biology, immunology, and pathogenesis. The murine model has been chosen
for most studies investigating infectious diseases. Despite the limitations of the current
animal models, remarkable progress has been achieved using these models, including a
better understanding of host immune responses to infection, microbiome–pathogen
interactions, the molecular mechanisms underlying tissue damage as well as validation
of novel therapeutics and vaccine development.
Keywords: Animal, Ascaris, CMV, Design, Data extrapolation, Entamoeba, Fasciola, HCV, Infection, Listeria, Limitations, Model, Murine, NON-murine, Schistosoma.
