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SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 infection of Syrian hamster does not cause more severe disease and is protected by naturally acquired immunity
Preprint
in English
| bioRxiv
| ID: ppbiorxiv-438186
ABSTRACT
Epidemiological studies have revealed the emergence of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC), including the lineage B.1.1.7 that is rapidly replacing old variants. The B.1.1.7 variant has been linked to increased morbidity rates, transmissibility, and potentially mortality (1). To assess viral fitness in vivo and to address whether the B.1.1.7 variant is capable of immune escape, we conducted infection and re-infection studies in naive and convalescent Syrian hamsters (>10 months old). Hamsters infected by either a B.1.1.7 variant or a B.1 (G614) variant exhibited comparable viral loads and pathology. Convalescent hamsters that were previously infected by the original D614 variant were protected from disease following B.1.1.7 challenge with no observable clinical signs or lung pathology. Altogether, our study did not find that the B.1.1.7 variant significantly differs from the B.1 variant in pathogenicity in hamsters and that natural infection-induced immunity confers protection against a secondary challenge by the B1.1.7 variant.
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Full text:
Available
Collection:
Preprints
Database:
bioRxiv
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Year:
2021
Document type:
Preprint