Cellular tropism of SARS-CoV-2 in the respiratory tract of Syrian hamsters and B6.Cg-Tg(K18-ACE2)2Prlmn/J transgenic mice
Several animal models have been developed to study the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection and to evaluate vaccines and therapeutic agents for this emerging disease. Similar to infection with SARS-CoV-1, infection of Syrian hamsters with SARS-CoV-2 results in moderate respiratory disease involvi...
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Published in | Veterinary pathology Vol. 59; no. 4; pp. 639 - 647 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Los Angeles, CA
SAGE Publications
01.07.2022
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Several animal models have been developed to study the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection and to evaluate vaccines and therapeutic agents for this emerging disease. Similar to infection with SARS-CoV-1, infection of Syrian hamsters with SARS-CoV-2 results in moderate respiratory disease involving the airways and lung parenchyma but does not lead to increased mortality. Using a combination of immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy, we showed that the epithelium of the conducting airways of hamsters was the primary target for viral infection within the first 5 days of infection, with little evidence of productive infection of pneumocytes. At 6 days postinfection, antigen was cleared but parenchymal damage persisted, and the major pathological changes resolved by day 14. These findings are similar to those previously reported for hamsters with SARS-CoV-1 infection. In contrast, infection of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice resulted in pneumocyte damage, with viral particles and replication complexes in both type I and type II pneumocytes together with the presence of convoluted or cubic membranes; however, there was no evidence of virus replication in the conducting airways. The Syrian hamster is a useful model for the study of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and vaccination strategies, whereas infection of the K18-hCE2 transgenic mouse results in lethal disease with fatal neuroinvasion but with sparing of conducting airways. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0300-9858 1544-2217 |
DOI: | 10.1177/03009858211043084 |