Table 3.

Animal models of mpox virus.

Model and strain or animal (age)	Inoculation routes	Clinical feature	Virus (infection dose)	References
CAST/EiJ mice (WD)	Intranasal	100% lethality, weight loss of 20–30% at doses of 103 PFU; virus detected in lung, spleen, brain and kidney; LD50 of 680 PFU for MPXV Zaire-79; LD50 of 7,600 PFU for MPXV-2003-044	MPXV Zaire-79, MPXV-2003-044	Americo et al. and Earl et al. [36,39]
BALB/c mice	Intranasal	No mortality; transient weight loss; virus detected in lung, spleen, brain, kidney	MPXV Zaire-79 (up to 106 PFU)	Earl et al. [39]
MOLF/EiJ (WD, inbreed)	Intranasal	70% lethality; weight loss of 21.3%	MPXV Zaire-79 (2 × 104 PFU)	Americo et al. [36]
PERA/EiJ (WD)	Intranasal	40% lethality; weight loss of 24.8%	MPXV Zaire-79 (2 × 104 PFU)	Americo et al. [36]
C57BL/6 stat1−/−	Intranasal	90–100% mortality	MPXV Zaire-79 (470–4,700 PFU)	Stabenow et al. [40]
SCID-BALB/c	Intraperitoneal	100% lethaligy; virus detected in ovary, lung, heart, liver, kidney, and pancreas	MPXV-2003-044, MPXV-2003-358 (105 PFU)	Osorio et al. [41]
African rope squirrels (Funisciurus)	Intranasal and intradermal	50–70% lethaligy; pox lesions dyspnea, and profuse nasal discharge; high levels of viremia, fast systemic spread, and prolonged viral shedding	MPXV-2003-358 (106 PFU)	Falendysz et al. [42]
Prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus)	Intraperitoneal, intranasal	60–100% mortality	MPX-2003-044 (105.1 PFU)	Xiao et al. [43]
Ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus)	Intraperitoneal, intranasal	100% lethality, lethargic and anorexic; virus detected in blood, throat swab, liver, spleen, kidney, lung, heart and brain	MPX-2003-044 (105.1 –106.1 PFU)	Tesh et al. [44]
African dormice (outbreed)	Intranasal	100% mortality; general disease with necrosis and hemorrhage; virus detected in nasal lavages, spleen, liver, lung and blood	MPXV Zaire-79	Schultz et al. [45]
Rabbit (adult)	Intravenous	8% lethality; general disease with fever and rash; virus detected in blood, lymph nodes, kidney and testicle	Copenhagen (107 PFU)	Marennikova et al. [37]
Rabbit (adult)	On scarified skin	Local eruption, fever, rash on the skin and mucous membranes	Copenhagen (105–106 PFU)	Marennikova et al. [37]
Rabbit (adult)	Intradermal	Dense infiltration with necrosis	Copenhagen (105–106 PFU)
Rabbit (10 days)	Intranasal, oral	83–85% mortality; weight loss, adynamia, acute general disease with rash; virus detected in blood, lung, liver, and spleen	Copenhagen (106–107 PFU)	Marennikova et al. [37]
White mouse (8 days)	Intranasal, intraperitoneal, intradermal, oral, footpad	24–100% lethality with different infection routes; weight loss, adynamia, local infiltration, foot oedema, general disease; virus detected in blood, lung, liver, spleen and kidney	Copenhagen (1.2 × 106 PFU)	Marennikova et al. [37]
Newborne white rat (1–3 day(s))	Intranasal	100% lethality; adynamia; virus detected in lung and liver	Copenhagen (100 PFU)	Marennikova et al. [37]
Guinea-pigs	Foodpad	Food oedema	Copenhagen	Marennikova et al. [37]
Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)	Aerosol	aerosol inhaled doses of 10,000–141,000 PFU caused 100% lethality associated with severe fibrinonecrotic bronchopneumonia.	MPXV Zaire-79 (2 × 104 PFU)	Zaucha et al. [46]
Rhesus macaques	Intravenous	Low dose (5 × 106 PFU) caused disseminated exanthema and animals survived. High dose (5 × 108 PFU) caused organ-hemorrhagic and all animal died on day 6 postinfection; virus detected in lymph nodes, heart, lungs, urinary bladder, uterus, and digestive tract.	MPXV Zaire-79 (5 × 108 PFU)	Hooper et al. [47]
Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)	Intranasal	an incubation period of approximately 13 days, followed by the onset of rash, and death between 15 and 17 days.	MPXV Zaire-79 (1,000 PFU)	Mucker et al. [48]
Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)	Intravenous	Generalized erythema present in animals at higher doses; more focal/discrete hemorrhages at lower doses.	MPXV Zaire-79 (more than 48 PFU)	Mucker et al. [49]

WD, wild derived; LD50, 50% lethal dose.