Cell culture models of human norovirus: The end of the beginning?

Human norovirus (hNoV) infection accounts for the vast majority of virus-mediated gastroenteritis cases worldwide. It causes self-limiting acute illnesses in healthy individuals lasting for a few days, however, in immunocompromised patients, hNoV can establish chronic and potentially fatal infections. Since its discovery in 1968, much effort had been made to develop cell culture and animal infection models to no avail. Only recently, some promising breakthroughs in the development of in vitro infection models have been made. Here, we will contrast and compare those models and discuss what further needs to be done to develop a reliable and robust cell culture model.