Using rats as a research model to investigate the effect of human adenovirus 36 on weight gain

Background: recent evidence has shown a positive correlation between obesity and viral infections with a particular emphasis on the human adenovirus-36 (ad-36). ad-36 is the first human virus that may increase adiposity in animals,and it is considered as a possible risk factor for obesity in humans; however,the results were not consistent across all the studies. the present study was conducted to examine the influence of ad-36 infection on obesity in a rat model. methods: eight-week-old male wistar rats weighing 170-240 gram (g),were randomly divided into two groups,infection group (48 rats) and a control group (12 rats). the rats in the infection group were infected with human ad-36. all rats were given free access to a normal chow diet and water. they were weighed weekly. results: the mean ± standard deviation (sd) body weights were 229.0 ± 25.9 g and 232.3 ± 16.6 g in the infection and control groups,respectively at the time of infection. the mean ± sd body weight of the infection group (304.0 ± 39.0 g) was higher than the control group (301.0 ± 36.5 g) at 12 weeks post-infection (p = 0.82). although two groups had approximately same food intakes,the mean change in body weight was greater in the infection group than the control group (75.8 ± 27.9 g vs. 70.8 ± 24.5 g) but it was not significant (p = 0.57). conclusion: we did not find a statistically significant association between weight gain and ad-36 infection in the rat model. it seems that longer follow-up duration is needed to develop a significant weight gain in the infected rats. rats can be used as a good animal model for further investigations about ad-36-induced obesity,provided not to rely merely on weight measurements. evaluating body composition or histopathological assessments are suggested. © 2017,isfahan university of medical sciences(iums). all rights reserved.