ABSTRACT
Background: The recent emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.617 in India has been associated with a surge in the number of daily infections. This variant has combination of specific mutations L452R, E484Q and P681R reported to possibly enhance the transmissibility with likelihood of escaping the immunity. We investigated the viral load and pathogenic potential of B.1.617.1 in Syrian golden hamsters. Methods: Two groups of Syrian golden hamsters (9 each) were inoculated intranasally with SARS CoV-2 isolates, B.1 (D614G) and B.1.617.1 respectively. The animals were monitored daily for the clinical signs and body weight. The necropsy of three hamsters each was performed on 3, 5- and 7-days post-infection (DPI). Throat swab (TS), nasal wash (NW) and organ samples (lungs, nasal turbinate, trachea) were collected and screened using SARS-CoV-2 specific Real-time RT-PCR. Results: The hamsters infected with B.1.617.1 demonstrated increased body weight loss compared to B.1 variant. The highest viral load was observed in nasal turbinate and lung specimens of animals infected with B.1.167.1 on 3 DPI. Neutralizing antibody (NAb) and IgG response in hamsters of both the groups were observed from 5 and 7 DPI respectively. However, higher neutralizing antibody titers were observed against B.1.167.1. Gross pathology showed pronounced lung lesions and hemorrhage with B.1.671 compared to B.1. Conclusions: B.1617.1 and B.1 variant varied greatly in their infectiousness, pathogenesis in hamster model. This study demonstrates higher pathogenicity in hamsters evident with reduced body weight, higher viral load in lungs and pronounced lung lesions as compared to B.1 variant.