Abstract
The host response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can result in prolonged pathologies collectively referred to as post-acute sequalae of COVID-19 (PASC) or long COVID. To better understand the mechanism underlying long COVID biology, we compared the short- and long-term systemic responses in the golden hamster after either SARS-CoV-2 or influenza A virus (IAV) infection. Results demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 exceeded IAV in its capacity to cause permanent injury to the lung and kidney and uniquely affected the olfactory bulb (OB) and olfactory epithelium (OE). Despite a lack of detectable infectious virus, the OB and OE demonstrated myeloid and T cell activation, proinflammatory cytokine production, and an interferon response that correlated with behavioral changes extending a month after viral clearance. These sustained transcriptional changes could also be corroborated from tissue isolated from individuals who recovered from COVID-19. These data highlight a molecular mechanism for persistent COVID-19 symptomology and provide a small animal model to explore future therapeutics.
【초록키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, pathology, coronavirus, Infection, influenza A virus, lung, animal model, host response, molecular mechanism, viral clearance, kidney, COVID, response, PASC, interferon response, change, mechanism, T cell activation, Infectious virus, Injury, Olfactory epithelium, olfactory, Proinflammatory cytokine, acute respiratory syndrome, tissue, individual, IAV, highlight, Result, affected, lack, detectable, demonstrated, correlated, sustained, exceeded, transcriptional change, 【제목키워드】 SARS-COV-2 infection, Human, hamster, Perturbation, unique,