Hamsters as a Model of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2

作者：Alicia M. Braxton, Patrick S. Creisher, Camilo A. Ruiz-Bedoya, Katie R Mulka, Santosh Dhakal, Alvaro A. Ordoñez, Sarah E. Beck, Sanjay K. Jain, Jason Villano · 发表于：Comparative Medicine · 年份：2021 · DOI：10.30802/aalas-cm-21-000036 · 被引用次数：23 · 研究领域：SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research、COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies、COVID-19 and Mental Health

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), rapidly spread across the world in late 2019, leading to a pandemic. While SARS-CoV-2 infections predominately affect the respiratory system, severe infections can lead to renal and cardiac injury and even death. Due to its highly transmissible nature and severe health implications, animal models of SARS-CoV-2 are critical to developing novel therapeutics and preventatives. Syrian hamsters ( Mesocricetus auratus) are an ideal animal model of SARS-CoV-2 infections because they recapitulate many aspects of human infections. After inoculation with SARS-CoV-2, hamsters become moribund, lose weight, and show varying degrees of respiratory disease, lethargy, and ruffled fur. Histopathologically, their pulmonary lesions are consistent with human infections including interstitial to broncho-interstitial pneumonia, alveolar hemorrhage and edema, and granulocyte infiltration. Similar to humans, the duration of clinical signs and pulmonary pathology are short lived with rapid recovery by 14 d after infection. Immunocompromised hamsters develop more severe infections and mortality. Preclinical studies in hamsters have shown efficacy of therapeutics, including convalescent serum treatment, and preventatives, including vaccination, in limiting or preventing clinical disease. Although hamster studies have contributed greatly to our understanding of the pathogenesis and progression...