All mammalian species studied cough or display some similar respiratory reflex upon aerosol challenge with tussigenic stimuli such as citric acid or capsaicin. Animals cough to the same stimuli that evoke coughing in humans, and therapeutic agents that display antitussive effects in human studies also prevent coughing in animals. The many invasive procedures and complementary in vitro studies possible in animals but readily reproduced in human subjects, along with the proven predictive value of cough studies in animals provides the rationale for animal modeling of human cough. The advantages and disadvantages of studying cough in animals are discussed.
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