Humane endpoints for infectious disease animal models.

Since the work of pioneers such as Jenner and Pasteur (Fenner et al. 1997) more than a century ago, animal models have provided essential information in the study of infectious diseases. Although much experimentation can now be accomplished with in vitro systems, animals continue to be necessary for this field for studying the process of inflammation, specific infectious diseases, and pharmacologic treatment of infectious diseases; vaccine development and efficacy and safety testing; virulence testing; and, for diagnostic purposes, in both human and veterinary medicine. The use of whole animal models, both natural and induced (including transgenic models), is considered important to the understanding of the very complex temporal relationships that occur in infectious disease involving the body, its neuroendocrine and immune systems, and the infectious organism.