ABSTRACT
The Roborovski dwarf hamster Phodopus roborovskii belongs to the Phodopus genus, one of the seven within Cricetinae subfamily. Like other rodents such as mice, rats, or ferrets, hamsters can be important animal models for a range of diseases. Whereas the Syrian hamster from the genus Mesocricetus is now widely used as a model for mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019, Roborovski dwarf hamster shows a severe-to-lethal course of disease upon infection with the novel human coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Phodopus , Animals , COVID-19/genetics , Cricetinae , Ferrets , Humans , Mice , Models, Animal , RatsABSTRACT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is currently causing a worldwide threat with its unusually high transmission rates and rapid evolution into diverse strains. Unlike typical respiratory viruses, SARS-CoV-2 frequently causes systemic infection by breaking the boundaries of the respiratory systems. The development of animal models recapitulating the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 is of utmost importance not only for the development of vaccines and antivirals but also for understanding the pathogenesis. However, there has not been developed an animal model for systemic infection of SARS-CoV-2 representing most aspects of the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 with systemic symptoms. Here we report that a Roborovski hamster strain SH101, a laboratory inbred hamster strain of P. roborovskii, displayed most symptoms of systemic infection upon SARS-CoV-2 infection as in the case of the human counterpart, unlike current COVID-19 animal models. Roborovski hamster strain SH101 post-infection of SARS-CoV-2 represented most clinical symptoms of COVID-19 such as snuffling, labored breathing, dyspnea, cough, hunched posture, progressive weight loss, ruffled fur, and high fever following shaking chills. Histological examinations also revealed initial right-predominated pneumonia as well as slight organ damages in the brain and liver, manifesting systemic COVID-19 cases. Considering the merit of a small animal as well as its clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human, this hamster model seems to provide an ideal tool to investigate COVID-19.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Cricetinae/classification , Disease Models, Animal , SARS-CoV-2 , Animals , Body Temperature , Brain/pathology , COVID-19/pathology , COVID-19/physiopathology , Female , Liver/pathology , Lung/pathology , Male , Mesocricetus , Mice , Mice, TransgenicABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has precipitated an unprecedented and yet-unresolved health crisis worldwide. Different mammals are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2; however, few species examined so far develop robust clinical disease that mirrors severe human cases or allows testing of vaccines and drugs under conditions of severe disease. Here, we compare the susceptibilities of three dwarf hamster species (Phodopus spp.) to SARS-CoV-2 and introduce the Roborovski dwarf hamster (P. roborovskii) as a highly susceptible COVID-19 model with consistent and fulminant clinical signs. Particularly, only this species shows SARS-CoV-2-induced severe acute diffuse alveolar damage and hyaline microthrombi in the lungs, changes described in patients who succumbed to the infection but not reproduced in any experimentally infected animal. Based on our findings, we propose the Roborovski dwarf hamster as a valuable model to examine the efficacy and safety of vaccine candidates and therapeutics, particularly for use in highly susceptible individuals.