[Frontiers in Bioscience 2, d471-481, September 15, 1997]

	[Frontiers in Bioscience 2, d471-481, September 15, 1997] Reprints PubMed CAVEAT LECTOR
	THE COLOSTRUM-DEPRIVED, ARTIFICIALLY-REARED, NEONATAL PIG AS A MODEL ANIMAL FOR STUDYING ROTAVIRUS GASTROENTERITIS Guillermo G. Gomez Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7626 and Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Diseases, Chapel Hill and Raleigh, NC Received 9/5/97 Accepted 9/10/97 9. PERSPECTIVE The results presented herein as well as those reported in the literature clearly indicate that the neonatal pig is an useful model animal to study rotaviral gastroenteritis for young mammals in general, and human infants in particular. Under the conditions described above, colostrum-deprived, artificially-reared, neonatal pigs are susceptible to viral invasion which leads to clinical signs and intestinal injury that are consistent with those reported in rotavirus gastroenteritis in human infants as well as in gnotobiotic pigs. Because of the importance of rotaviral gastroenteritis as one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in infants and young animals in developed and in developing countries, our well-defined and reproducible neonatal pig research model appears to be a very suitable model animal to further study the pathogenesis as well as the prevention and treatment of rotavirus gastroenteritis.

[Frontiers in Bioscience 2, d471-481, September 15, 1997]
Reprints
PubMed
CAVEAT LECTOR

THE COLOSTRUM-DEPRIVED, ARTIFICIALLY-REARED, NEONATAL PIG AS A MODEL ANIMAL FOR STUDYING ROTAVIRUS GASTROENTERITIS

Guillermo G. Gomez

Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7626 and Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Diseases, Chapel Hill and Raleigh, NC

Received 9/5/97 Accepted 9/10/97

9. PERSPECTIVE

The results presented herein as well as those reported in the literature clearly indicate that the neonatal pig is an useful model animal to study rotaviral gastroenteritis for young mammals in general, and human infants in particular. Under the conditions described above, colostrum-deprived, artificially-reared, neonatal pigs are susceptible to viral invasion which leads to clinical signs and intestinal injury that are consistent with those reported in rotavirus gastroenteritis in human infants as well as in gnotobiotic pigs. Because of the importance of rotaviral gastroenteritis as one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in infants and young animals in developed and in developing countries, our well-defined and reproducible neonatal pig research model appears to be a very suitable model animal to further study the pathogenesis as well as the prevention and treatment of rotavirus gastroenteritis.