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.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, immunohistochemistry, pathology, coronavirus, Severe acute respiratory syndrome, ultrastructure, 【초록키워드】 viral infection, Vaccine, SARS-COV-2 infection, Infection, animal model, SARS-CoV-1, Type II pneumocyte, airway, Antigen, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, pathophysiology, Respiratory disease, Vaccination strategies, virus replication, therapeutic agent, emerging disease, hamster, transmission electron microscopy, moderate, K18-hACE2 transgenic mice, Evidence, Combination, Pneumocytes, lung parenchyma, airways, type I, increased mortality, lethal disease, viral particle, Transgenic mouse, Postinfection, evaluate, reported, pathological change, replication complex, resolved, parenchymal damage, SARS-CoV-1 infection, 【제목키워드】 respiratory tract, hamster, transgenic mice, tropism of SARS-CoV-2,