# US 2006/0123499 A1 · Civet animal model system for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus infection and uses thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2006/0123499 A1 - Document ID: US20060123499A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 11/005,207 - Filed: 2004-12-06 - Published: 2006-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2004-12-06 - Inventors: Donglai Wu; Xiangang Kong; Qingwen Meng; Yonggang Liu; Yuntao Guan; Xunnan Yin; Mouping Wang; Changwen Li; Ming Liao; Chao-an Xin; Jinding Chen; Changchun Tu; Hua Xuan; Yedong Yu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20060123499A1 ## CPC - C12N 7/00: Viruses; Bacteriophages; Compositions thereof; Preparation or purification thereof (preparing medicinal viral antigen or antibody compositions, e.g. virus vaccines, A61K39/00) - A01K 2267/0337: Animal models for infectious diseases - C12N 2770/38011: Tombusviridae - C12N 2770/38034: Use of virus or viral component as vaccine, e.g. live-attenuated or inactivated virus, VLP, viral protein - C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00) - A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS ## Abstract The present invention is directed towards the use of the masked palm civet Paguma larvata (“civet”) as an animal model system for SARS, and is based on the novel demonstration of the present invention that civets may be infected with exogenous coronavirus, and that such infection produces SARS-like symptoms in these infected animals. The present invention is directed to a civet model system for the study of the infection, replication, and clinical effects of exogenously introduced human SARS-CoV coronavirus strains, civet SARS-CoV-like coronavirus strains, or variants or derivatives thereof, and to the development of vaccines (or other methods of prevention) or treatment of infection or transmission to other civets or humans of these human SARS-CoV coronavirus strains, civet SARS-CoV-like coronavirus strains, or variants or derivatives thereof. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A civet infected with an exogenous coronavirus or variant or derivative of said exogenous coronavirus. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The civet of claim 1, wherein said exogenous coronavirus is a human-derived exogenous coronavirus, or variant or derivative thereof. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The civet of claim 2, wherein said human-derived exogenous coronavirus is selected from the group consisting of an early-stage human-derived exogenous coronavirus, a middle-stage human-derived exogenous coronavirus, and a late-stage human-derived exogenous coronavirus. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The civet of claim 3, wherein said human-derived exogenous coronavirus is an early-stage human-derived exogenous coronavirus. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The civet of claim 4, wherein said early-stage human-derived exogenous coronavirus is selected from the group consisting of GZ02, GZ01, HGZ8L1-A, HSZ-Cc, HSZ-A, HSZ-Bb, HSZ-Cb, HSZ-Bc, GZ50, GZ-A, JMD, HGZ8L1-B, ZS-A, ZS-B, and ZS-C. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The civet of claim 5, wherein said early-stage human-derived exogenous coronavirus is GZ01. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The civet of claim 3, wherein said human-derived exogenous coronavirus is a middle-stage human-derived exogenous coronavirus. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The civet of claim 7, wherein said middle-stage human-derived exogenous coronavirus is selected from the group consisting of BJ04, BJ03, BJ02, BJ01, CUHK-W1, HZS2-D, HZS2-E, HZS2-C, HGZ8L2, HZS2-Bb, HSZ2-A, HZS2-Fc, and HZS2-Fb. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The civet of claim 8, wherein said middle-stage human-derived exogenous coronavirus is BJ01. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The civet of claim 3, wherein said human-derived exogenous coronavirus is a late-stage human-derived exogenous coronavirus. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The civet of claim 10, wherein said late-stage human-derived exogenous coronavirus is selected from the group consisting of TWC, Sin2679, ZJ01, HSR, TW1, HKU-39849, GZ-D, Urbani, Sin2748, Sin2677, Sin2500, Frankfurt, Sin2774, CUHK-Su10, CUHK-LC1, CUHK-AG01, CUHK-AG02, CUHK-AG03, TWH, TC1, TWY, TWS, TWK, TWJ, TC3, TC2, GZ-B, GZ-C, TOR2, CUHK-LC2, CUHK-LC3, CUHK-LC4, and CUHK-LC5. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The civet of claim 1, wherein said exogenous coronavirus is a civet-derived exogenous coronavirus, or variant or derivative thereof. ### Claim 13 (depends on 2) Isolated cells of the civet of claim 2. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) Isolated coronavirus of the civet of claim 2. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) Isolated genomic RNA of the coronavirus of claim 14. ### Claim 16 A method for producing coronavirus in a civet, comprising infecting a civet with an exogenous coronavirus or variant or derivative of said exogenous coronavirus. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein said exogenous coronavirus is a human-derived exogenous coronavirus. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein said human-derived exogenous coronavirus is GZ01 or BJ01. ### Claim 19 A method for assaying the development of SARS-like symptoms in a civet, comprising: a) infecting a civet with an exogenous coronavirus; and, b) assaying the development of said SARS-like symptoms in said civet. ### Claim 20 A method for assaying the effect of a putative coronaviral protection agent on the development of SARS-like symptoms in a civet, comprising: a) introducing a putative coronaviral protection agent into a civet; b) infecting said civet with an exogenous coronavirus; and, c) assaying the development of said SARS-like symptoms in said civet. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein said putative coronaviral protection agent is selected from the group consisting of an isolated human-derived coronaviral protein, an early stage human-derived coronavirus, an antibody against human-derived SARS viral protein S, and a killed human-derived SARS virus. ### Claim 22 A method for assaying the effect of a putative coronaviral vaccine agent on the development of SARS-like symptoms in a civet, comprising: a) introducing a putative coronaviral vaccine agent into a civet; b) infecting said civet with an exogenous coronavirus; and, c) assaying the development of said SARS-like symptoms in said civet. ### Claim 23 A method for preventing or reducing SARS-like symptoms in a civet, comprising inoculating a civet with a coronaviral protection agent or coronaviral vaccine agent.