A new method for cultivating human norovirus in zebrafish has been developed by scientists from the University of Maryland. This method, which has been published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, could lead to a better understanding of how norovirus affects humans, as well as potential treatments.

Norovirus is a major cause of gastrointestinal diseases in humans and is responsible for more than 50% of all foodborne illnesses. Currently, there is no effective vaccine or treatment for this virus, and the only way to study it is by using cell cultures or animal models.

Now, researchers have developed a new method for culturing norovirus in zebrafish, which could lead to a better understanding of the virus and potentially new treatments. The new method uses an engineered zebrafish that expresses human norovirus receptors in their gastrointestinal tract. The researchers found that these engineered zebrafish can be infected with human norovirus and show symptoms similar to those seen in humans.

This new method could provide insight into the human norovirus, which could eventually lead to improved treatments. The researchers are currently working to extend their work to other animal models and viruses, such as influenza and coronaviruses.

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source: Phys.org