SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant Pathogenesis and Host Response in Syrian Hamsters

Viruses

Nivedita Gupta¹  Pragya Dhruv Yadav²  Gajanan Sapkal²  Sreelekshmy Mohandas²  Anita Shete²  Dimpal Nyayanit²  Kavita Lole² 

[1] Indian Council of Medical Research, V. Ramalingaswami Bhawan, P.O. Box No. 4911, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India;Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology, Pune 411021, India;

关键词: SARS-CoV-2;    Delta variant;    B.1.617.2;    B.1.617.3;    Syrian hamster;    pathogenicity;   

DOI  :  10.3390/v13091773

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

B.1.617 is becoming a dominant Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineage worldwide with many sublineages, of which B.1.617.2 is designated as a variant of concern. The pathogenicity of B.1.617.2 (Delta) and B.1.617.3 lineage of SARS-CoV-2 was evaluated and compared with that of B.1, an early virus isolate with D614G mutation in a Syrian hamster model. Viral load, antibody response, and lung disease were studied. There was no significant difference in the virus shedding pattern among these variants. High levels of SARS-CoV-2 sub genomic RNA were detected in the respiratory tract of hamsters infected with the Delta variant for 14 days, which warrants further transmission studies. The Delta variant induced lung disease of moderate severity in about 40% of infected animals, which supports the attributed disease severity of the variant. Cross neutralizing antibodies were detected in animals infected with B.1, Delta, and B.1.617.3 variant, but neutralizing capacity was significantly lower with B.1.351 (Beta variant).

【 授权许可】

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