Animal models are really important for helping us understand how viral infections work. They give us information that we can't always get from studying humans. Here are some key ways animal models help in this area:
How Viruses Interact with the Immune System: Animal models let scientists see how viruses and the body’s immune system fight against each other. For example, using mice has helped researchers find out how certain substances in the body, like interferon-gamma and interleukin-6, help control how the virus spreads.
Watching Disease Progress: By keeping track of how much virus is present and how the immune system reacts over time in animal models, scientists can learn about the stages of the disease. For example, in studies with HIV, they found that the virus can reach very high levels within the first few weeks, which helps in figuring out treatment options.
Testing Treatments: Animal models are critical for trying out new antiviral medicines and vaccines. For instance, researchers have tested potential vaccines for Ebola on monkeys and found that some could protect these animals from dangerous doses of the virus perfectly.
Understanding Disease Effects: Studies on animals give us important information on how diseases develop. For example, with influenza, it’s been found that around 20% of the time, people can get secondary bacterial infections after catching the flu, which shows that we need to have complete treatment plans.
Comparing Results: A study that looked at over 200 animal research projects found that 75% of the time, the results in animals matched what happened in humans. This shows that these animal models are useful for predicting what might happen in real-life human cases.
In summary, animal models are essential for helping us learn more about how viral infections work and finding effective treatments.
Animal models are really important for helping us understand how viral infections work. They give us information that we can't always get from studying humans. Here are some key ways animal models help in this area:
How Viruses Interact with the Immune System: Animal models let scientists see how viruses and the body’s immune system fight against each other. For example, using mice has helped researchers find out how certain substances in the body, like interferon-gamma and interleukin-6, help control how the virus spreads.
Watching Disease Progress: By keeping track of how much virus is present and how the immune system reacts over time in animal models, scientists can learn about the stages of the disease. For example, in studies with HIV, they found that the virus can reach very high levels within the first few weeks, which helps in figuring out treatment options.
Testing Treatments: Animal models are critical for trying out new antiviral medicines and vaccines. For instance, researchers have tested potential vaccines for Ebola on monkeys and found that some could protect these animals from dangerous doses of the virus perfectly.
Understanding Disease Effects: Studies on animals give us important information on how diseases develop. For example, with influenza, it’s been found that around 20% of the time, people can get secondary bacterial infections after catching the flu, which shows that we need to have complete treatment plans.
Comparing Results: A study that looked at over 200 animal research projects found that 75% of the time, the results in animals matched what happened in humans. This shows that these animal models are useful for predicting what might happen in real-life human cases.
In summary, animal models are essential for helping us learn more about how viral infections work and finding effective treatments.