Histopathological and Immunological Findings in the Common Marmoset Following Exposure to Aerosolized SARS-CoV-2
There is an enduring requirement to develop animal models of COVID-19 to assess the efficacy of vaccines and therapeutics that can be used to treat the disease in humans. In this study, six marmosets were exposed to a small particle aerosol (1–3 µm) of SARS-CoV-2 VIC01 that delivered the virus direc...
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/7/1580 |
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author | Rachel E. Ireland Carwyn D. Davies Emma Keyser James S. F. Findlay Lin Eastaugh Thomas R. Laws Francisco J. Salguero Laura Hunter Michelle Nelson |
author_facet | Rachel E. Ireland Carwyn D. Davies Emma Keyser James S. F. Findlay Lin Eastaugh Thomas R. Laws Francisco J. Salguero Laura Hunter Michelle Nelson |
author_sort | Rachel E. Ireland |
collection | DOAJ |
description | There is an enduring requirement to develop animal models of COVID-19 to assess the efficacy of vaccines and therapeutics that can be used to treat the disease in humans. In this study, six marmosets were exposed to a small particle aerosol (1–3 µm) of SARS-CoV-2 VIC01 that delivered the virus directly to the lower respiratory tract. Following the challenge, marmosets did not develop clinical signs, although a disruption to the normal diurnal temperature rhythm was observed in three out of six animals. Early weight loss and changes to respiratory pattern and activity were also observed, yet there was limited evidence of viral replication or lung pathology associated with infection. There was a robust innate immunological response to infection, which included an early increase in circulating neutrophils and monocytes and a reduction in the proportion of circulating T-cells. Expression of the ACE2 receptor in respiratory tissues was almost absent, but there was ubiquitous expression of TMPRSS2. The results of this study indicate that exposure of marmosets to high concentrations of aerosolised SARS-CoV-2 did not result in the development of clear, reproducible signs of COVID-19. |
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institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1999-4915 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:41:28Z |
publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
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series | Viruses |
spelling | doaj.art-b4096c8add6f4b6184b19d8553e111f82023-12-03T12:24:46ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152022-07-01147158010.3390/v14071580Histopathological and Immunological Findings in the Common Marmoset Following Exposure to Aerosolized SARS-CoV-2Rachel E. Ireland0Carwyn D. Davies1Emma Keyser2James S. F. Findlay3Lin Eastaugh4Thomas R. Laws5Francisco J. Salguero6Laura Hunter7Michelle Nelson8CBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UKCBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UKCBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UKCBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UKCBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UKCBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UKUnited Kingdom Health and Security Agency, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UKUnited Kingdom Health and Security Agency, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UKCBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UKThere is an enduring requirement to develop animal models of COVID-19 to assess the efficacy of vaccines and therapeutics that can be used to treat the disease in humans. In this study, six marmosets were exposed to a small particle aerosol (1–3 µm) of SARS-CoV-2 VIC01 that delivered the virus directly to the lower respiratory tract. Following the challenge, marmosets did not develop clinical signs, although a disruption to the normal diurnal temperature rhythm was observed in three out of six animals. Early weight loss and changes to respiratory pattern and activity were also observed, yet there was limited evidence of viral replication or lung pathology associated with infection. There was a robust innate immunological response to infection, which included an early increase in circulating neutrophils and monocytes and a reduction in the proportion of circulating T-cells. Expression of the ACE2 receptor in respiratory tissues was almost absent, but there was ubiquitous expression of TMPRSS2. The results of this study indicate that exposure of marmosets to high concentrations of aerosolised SARS-CoV-2 did not result in the development of clear, reproducible signs of COVID-19.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/7/1580SARS-CoV-2aerosolmarmosetACE2TMPRSS2 |
spellingShingle | Rachel E. Ireland Carwyn D. Davies Emma Keyser James S. F. Findlay Lin Eastaugh Thomas R. Laws Francisco J. Salguero Laura Hunter Michelle Nelson Histopathological and Immunological Findings in the Common Marmoset Following Exposure to Aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 Viruses SARS-CoV-2 aerosol marmoset ACE2 TMPRSS2 |
title | Histopathological and Immunological Findings in the Common Marmoset Following Exposure to Aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 |
title_full | Histopathological and Immunological Findings in the Common Marmoset Following Exposure to Aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 |
title_fullStr | Histopathological and Immunological Findings in the Common Marmoset Following Exposure to Aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 |
title_full_unstemmed | Histopathological and Immunological Findings in the Common Marmoset Following Exposure to Aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 |
title_short | Histopathological and Immunological Findings in the Common Marmoset Following Exposure to Aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 |
title_sort | histopathological and immunological findings in the common marmoset following exposure to aerosolized sars cov 2 |
topic | SARS-CoV-2 aerosol marmoset ACE2 TMPRSS2 |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/7/1580 |
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