Table 1.
Characteristics of non‐mammalian infection models and mouse infection model
| Costa | Space | Injectionb | Research on host factor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model animal | Genetic mutantc | Biological material | |||
| C. elegans | Low | Small | Difficult | Available | Small |
| Silkworm (B. mori) | Low | Small | Easy | Non‐available | Large |
| Fruit fly (D. melanogaster) | Low | Small | Difficult | Available | Small |
| Zebrafish (D. rerio) | Middle | Small | Normal/Difficultd | Available | Large |
| Two‐spotted cricket (G. bimaculatus) | Low | Small | Easy | Non‐available | Large |
| Hornworm (M. sexta) | Low | Small | Normal | Non‐available | Large |
| Waxworm (G. mellonella) | Low | Small | Normal | Non‐available | Large |
| Mouse (M. musculus) | High | Large | Normal | Available | Large |
a
Low, less than 1 US dollar/animal; Middle, 1–5 US dollars/animal; High, more than 5 US dollars/animal.
b
Easy, requires no anesthesia, holding apparatus, or microscope; Normal, requires anesthesia or holding apparatus, but no microscope; Difficult, requires glass capillary and microscope.
c
Available means that genetically modified animals can be obtained from a genetic stock center.
d
Adult fish, Normal; embryo, Difficult.