ArticleNature communications2021
Comparison of rhesus and cynomolgus macaques as an infection model for COVID-19.
Article in Nature communications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 115 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
115 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 163 citations in OpenAlex.
- Predicting the presence of infectious virus from PCR data: A meta-analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in non-human primates.PLoS pathogens · 2024Pooled it
- The Reassessed Potential of SARS-CoV-2 Attenuation for COVID-19 Vaccine Development-A Systematic Review.Viruses · 2022Pooled it
- A Meta-Analysis of Rhesus Macaques (Comparative medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Molecular Phenotypes of Sex- and Age-Specific Differences Relating to Outcome in Patients With Ebola Virus Disease.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Exposure route, not dose, is the primary driver of infection patterns for a respiratory virus.Science advances · 2026Article
- Early innate immune signatures correlate with Ad26.COV2.S vaccine durability and protective efficacy.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Comparison of [Molecular imaging and biology · 2026Article
- Pathogen-specific immune responses might underlie divergent outcomes of coronavirus and influenza infection in the natural porcine host.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Human Metapneumovirus G Protein Immunogenicity and Safety Explored via Carrier Protein Fusion.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2026Article
- The ORF6 accessory protein contributes to SARS-CoV-2 virulence and pathogenicity in the naturally susceptible feline model of infection.Journal of virology · 2026Article
- Exposure route drives SARS-CoV-2 infection patterns in non-human primates.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- SIRPα Immuno-PET Provides a Pan-Myeloid View of Immune Activity During COVID-19.Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine · 2026Article
- Trends of laboratory nonhuman primate licensing in China between 2020 and 2024: A national database analysis.PloS one · 2026Article
- Optimized arenaviruses with tumor-tropic mutations promote safe anti-tumor efficacy via sustainable immune modulatory properties.Cell reports. Medicine · 2025Article
- A Systemic Approach to Chest Radiographic Assessment in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Infected Cynomolgus Macaques (Macaca fascicularis).Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS · 2025Article
- Review
- When less is statistically Equivalent: Lobe-Specific optimization of histopathological assessment in SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.Computers in biology and medicine · 2025Article
- Translating animal models of SARS-CoV-2 infection to vascular, neurological and gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19.Disease models & mechanisms · 2025Review
- A systems biology approach to define SARS-CoV-2 correlates of protection.NPJ vaccines · 2025Article
- Whole-body visualization of SARS-CoV-2 biodistribution in vivo by immunoPET imaging in non-human primates.Nature communications · 2025Article
55 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
64 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
A novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has been identified as the causative agent of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Animal models, and in particular non-human primates, are essential to understand the pathogenesis of emerging diseases and to assess the safety and efficacy of novel vaccines and therapeutics. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 replicates in the upper and lower respiratory tract and causes pulmonary lesions in both rhesus and cynomolgus macaques. Immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 are also similar in both species and equivalent to those reported in milder infections and convalescent human patients. This finding is reiterated by our transcriptional analysis of respiratory samples revealing the global response to infection. We describe a new method for lung histopathology scoring that will provide a metric to enable clearer decision making for this key endpoint. In contrast to prior publications, in which rhesus are accepted to be the preferred study species, we provide convincing evidence that both macaque species authentically represent mild to moderate forms of COVID-19 observed in the majority of the human population and both species should be used to evaluate the safety and efficacy of interventions against SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, accessing cynomolgus macaques will greatly alleviate the pressures on current rhesus stocks.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.