Could Naturally Occurring Coronaviral Diseases in Animals Serve as Models for COVID-19? A Review Focusing on the Bovine Model.

Jonas Johansson Wensman,Maria Stokstad

doi:10.3390/pathogens9120991

Abstract

The current pandemic of COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of basic studies on coronaviruses (CoVs) in general, and severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in particular. CoVs have for long been studied in veterinary medicine, due to their impact on animal health and welfare, production, and economy. Several animal models using coronaviral disease in the natural host have been suggested. In this review, different animal models are discussed, with the main focus on bovine CoV (BCoV). BCoV is endemic in the cattle population worldwide and has been known and studied for several decades. SARS-CoV-2 and BCoV are both betacoronaviruses, where BCoV is highly similar to human coronavirus (HCoV) OC43, encompassing the same virus species (Betacoronavirus 1). BCoV causes respiratory and gastrointestinal disease in young and adult cattle. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the similarities and dissimilarities between BCoV and SARS-CoV-2, as well as discussing the usage of BCoV as a model for human CoVs, including SARS-CoV-2.

Highlights

Coronaviral diseases in animals have been known and studied for decades, long before the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) appeared in 2002, and coronaviruses (CoVs) caught the attention of human virologists
With the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 [1], coronaviruses have once again got attention from the scientific community
We argue that coronaviral diseases in their natural hosts could be relevant to use as models for human infections, and should be explored further, with a focus on bovine coronavirus (BCoV) infection

Summary

Introduction

Coronaviral diseases in animals have been known and studied for decades, long before the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) appeared in 2002, and coronaviruses (CoVs) caught the attention of human virologists. To make further progress in the basic understanding of SARS-CoV-2 and other human coronaviruses, there is a need to develop different informative model systems. Several animal models using experimental SARS-CoV-2 infection have been developed, including ferret [2], hamster [3], cat [4], and mouse, including transgenic mouse [5]. The animal model system can be studied either in experimentally infected animals, or in naturally occurring disease cases in Pathogens 2020, 9, 991; doi:10.3390/pathogens9120991 www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogens. We argue that coronaviral diseases in their natural hosts could be relevant to use as models for human infections, and should be explored further, with a focus on bovine coronavirus (BCoV) infection

Animal Coronaviral Diseases that Could Be Relevant as a Model for COVID-19

A Brief Summary of BCoV Experiences

Findings

Similarities and Differences—SARS-CoV-2 and BCoV