No transmission of porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) in a long-term pig to rat xenotransplantation model and no infection of immunosuppressed rats.

Abstract

This report demonstrates a lack of infection of rats in vivo even during immunosuppression or long-term exposure (up to 460 days) to a functioning xenotransplant. This report also shows that rats possibly due to a low receptor concentration on their cells are not a suitable animal model to study PERV transmission in vivo.