Kant, Ravi, Kareinen, Lauri, Smura, Teemu, Freitag, Tobias L, Jha, Sawan Kumar, Alitalo, Kari, Meri, Seppo, Sironen, Tarja, Saksela, Kalle, Strandin, Tomas et al (show 2 more authors)
(2021)
Common Laboratory Mice Are Susceptible to Infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Beta Variant.
VIRUSES-BASEL, 13 (11).
2263-.
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Common Laboratory Mice Are Susceptible to Infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Beta Variant.pdf - Published version Download (2MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Small animal models are of crucial importance for assessing COVID-19 countermeasures. Common laboratory mice would be well-suited for this purpose but are not susceptible to infection with wild-type SARS-CoV-2. However, the development of mouse-adapted virus strains has revealed key mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that increase infectivity, and interestingly, many of these mutations are also present in naturally occurring SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. This suggests that these variants might have the ability to infect common laboratory mice. Herein we show that the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant attains infectibility to BALB/c mice and causes pulmonary changes within 2-3 days post infection, consistent with results seen in other murine models of COVID-19, at a reasonable virus dose (2 × 10<sup>5</sup> PFU). The findings suggest that common laboratory mice can serve as the animal model of choice for testing the effectiveness of antiviral drugs and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | SARS-CoV2, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 variants, SARS-CoV-2 beta variants, infections, laboratory mice, common laboratory mice |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Feb 2022 14:14 |
| Last Modified: | 22 Nov 2023 10:49 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/v13112263 |
| Related URLs: | |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3148522 |
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