Challenges and limitations of the necrotizing enterocolitis animal modelsn
| Models | Rat | Mouse | Piglet | Rabbit | Quail | Nonhuman primate |
| Advantages | Low cost Preterm viability Larger size High resilience to stressors | Transgenic lines available Low cost High reproductive rate Short lifecycle | Larger size Repeated tissue sampling Physiology and anatomy closely resembles humans Ability for invasive monitoring | Larger size | Low cost Germ-free quail availability | Larger size Physiology and anatomy closely resembles humans Ability for invasive monitoring High degree of homology at DNA level |
| Disadvantages | Lack of transgenic lines Lack of biomolecular reagents Resilience to stress disadvantageous to NEC High endotoxin and bacterial contamination tolerance | Difficulty gavage feeding— small size Low preterm viability | Costly model Limited analytic tools—antibodies The model creates global intestinal injury including the stomach | Costly model Lack of transgenic lines | Lack of transgenic lines Model not commonly used | Extremely expensive Longer life span Long breeding period Model rarely used |
NEC, necrotizing enterocolitis.