Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 isolates in rodents.

Uraki, Ryuta; Halfmann, Peter J; Iida, Shun; Yamayoshi, Seiya; Furusawa, Yuri; Kiso, Maki; Ito, Mutsumi; Iwatsuki-Horimoto, Kiyoko; Mine, Sohtaro; Kuroda, Makoto; Maemura, Tadashi; Sakai-Tagawa, Yuko; Ueki, Hiroshi; Li, Rong; Liu, Yanan; Larson, Deanna; Fukushi, Shuetsu; Watanabe, Shinji; Maeda, Ken; Pekosz, Andrew; Kandeil, Ahmed; Webby, Richard J; Wang, Zhongde; Imai, Masaki; Suzuki, Tadaki; Kawaoka, Yoshihiro

Uraki, Ryuta; Halfmann, Peter J; Iida, Shun; Yamayoshi, Seiya; Furusawa, Yuri; Kiso, Maki; Ito, Mutsumi; Iwatsuki-Horimoto, Kiyoko; Mine, Sohtaro; Kuroda, Makoto; Maemura, Tadashi; Sakai-Tagawa, Yuko; Ueki, Hiroshi; Li, Rong; Liu, Yanan; Larson, Deanna; Fukushi, Shuetsu; Watanabe, Shinji; Maeda, Ken; Pekosz, Andrew; Kandeil, Ahmed; Webby, Richard J; Wang, Zhongde; Imai, Masaki; Suzuki, Tadaki; Kawaoka, Yoshihiro.

Uraki R; Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Halfmann PJ; The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
Iida S; Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Yamayoshi S; Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
Furusawa Y; Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Kiso M; The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
Ito M; Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Iwatsuki-Horimoto K; The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
Mine S; Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Kuroda M; Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Maemura T; Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Sakai-Tagawa Y; Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
Ueki H; Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Li R; Influenza Research Institute, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Liu Y; Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Larson D; Division of Virology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Fukushi S; The Research Center for Global Viral Diseases, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
Watanabe S; Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
Maeda K; Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
Pekosz A; Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
Kandeil A; Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
Webby RJ; Center for Influenza and Respiratory Virus Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
Wang Z; Department of Veterinary Science, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
Imai M; W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Suzuki T; Department of Infectious Diseases, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
Kawaoka Y; Center of Scientific Excellence for Influenza Viruses, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt.

Nature ; 2022 Nov 02.

Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2096734

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

The BA.2 sublineage of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has become dominant in most countries around the world; however, the prevalence of BA.4 and BA.5 is increasing rapidly in several regions. BA.2 is less pathogenic in animal models than previously circulating variants of concern1-4. Compared with BA.2, however, BA.4 and BA.5 possess additional substitutions in the spike protein, which play a key role in viral entry, raising concerns that the replication capacity and pathogenicity of BA.4 and BA.5 are higher than those of BA.2. Here we have evaluated the replicative ability and pathogenicity of BA.4 and BA.5 isolates in wild-type Syrian hamsters, human ACE2 (hACE2) transgenic hamsters and hACE2 transgenic mice. We have observed no obvious differences among BA.2, BA.4 and BA.5 isolates in growth ability or pathogenicity in rodent models, and less pathogenicity compared to a previously circulating Delta (B.1.617.2 lineage) isolate. In addition, in vivo competition experiments revealed that BA.5 outcompeted BA.2 in hamsters, whereas BA.4 and BA.2 exhibited similar fitness. These findings suggest that BA.4 and BA.5 clinical isolates have similar pathogenicity to BA.2 in rodents and that BA.5 possesses viral fitness superior to that of BA.2.

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study Topics: Variants Language: English Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S41586-022-05482-7

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