Table 4 Summary of studies using hamsters models of COVID-19
From: Evidence of a wide gap between COVID-19 in humans and animal models: a systematic review
Species (ref) | Number age (gender) | Virus strain dose* (inoculation route)†| Clinical signs & observation duration (DPI) § | Viral replication‡ (DPI) | Pathology & sacrificing date (DPI) | Immune response | Seroconversion (DPI) | Outcome measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Syrian hamsters Chan et al. (2020) [57] | n = 8 | SARS-CoV-2 Hong Kong | Tachypnea | Nose, trachea, lung | Diffuse alveolar damage (exudative) | Upregulation of Interferon-γ and proinflammatory chemokine, cytokine genes expression | IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (7) | Viral transmission and immunoprophylaxis |
Weight loss | Intestine (high viral load¶) (2–7) | |||||||
6–10 weeks (M/F) (Donor) | 105 PFU (IN) | Lethargy | Apoptosis | |||||
Ruffled furs | Blood (low viral load) | Diffuse alveolar damage (proliferative) | Early convalescent serum Immunoprophylaxis decreased nasal and lung viral load but not lung pathology or clinical signs | |||||
Hunched back posture (14) | Tissue repair | |||||||
Intestinal villi damage and necrosis | ||||||||
Reduced spleen size (2–14) (2, 4, 7, 14) | ||||||||
n = 8 | Direct contact with donor | Less weight loss than inoculated animals (14) | No difference in viral load inoculated animals vs. infected animals via contact (4) | No difference inoculated vs. infected by contact (2, 4, 7, 14) | NA | IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (7) | ||
6–10 weeks (M/F) | Inoculated with 100 ul of PBS | |||||||
Syrian hamsters | n = 6 (mAb CC12.1 or CC12.23) ¶ | SARS-CoV-2 (USAWA1/2020) | Weight loss dose-dependent (5) | Reduced lung viral load | NA (5) | NA | Neutralizing antibody (5) | Immunoprophylaxis and therapy |
1X106 PFU (IN) | ||||||||
12 h post-Ab infusion | ||||||||
Rogers et al. (2020) [58] | n = 6 Control IgG1 (Den3) ‖ | SARS-CoV-2 (USAWA1/2020) | Weight loss (5) | No difference in lung viral loads control vs. low dose groups | NA (5) | NA | NA | |
1 × 106 PFU (IN) | ||||||||
12 h post-Ab infusion | ||||||||
Golden Syrian hamsters | (n = 9)) 4–5 weeks (M) (Donor) | SARS-CoV-2 BetaCoV/Hong Kong/VM20001061/2020 | Weight loss (6) | Upper respiratory tract, nose, olfactory | Inflammatory infiltrates nasal turbinate Progressive lung consolidation (5 to 60%) Mononuclear cell infiltration. | CD3 positive T lymphocytes in peribronchial region (5) | IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (14) | Viral transmission |
Ruffled hair coat (5) (14) | Neurons, bronchus, lung | No extrapulmonary pathology | ||||||
Kidney, duodenum | ||||||||
8 × 104 TCID50 (IN) | No pathology in the intestine, spleen, heart, and brain (2, 5, 7) (2, 5, 7) | |||||||
Sia et al. (2020) [59] | (n = 9) | Infection via contact with donor hamster | Weight loss (6) | Detectable infectious viruses (9/9) | NA | NA | IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 (14) | |
4–5 weeks (M) | Ruffled hair coat day (4) (14) | Day 1 post-contact | ||||||
(Contact) | No difference in viral shedding contact vs. donor | |||||||
Syrian hamster | (n = 7) | SARS-CoV-2 (BetaCoV/Belgium/GHB03021/2020) | NA (4) | Lungs, blood, spleen, liver, upper & lower gastrointestinal tract | Multifocal necrotizing bronchiolitis, | Increased inflammation-related gene expression | NA | Host interferon response to SARS-CoV-2 |
Age: NA (F) | 2 × 105 TCID50 (P4 virus) or 2 × 106 TCID50 (P6 virus) (IN) | Leukocyte infiltration | ||||||
Wild type | Edema (4) (2, 3, 4) | No increase in serum levels of IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-γ (4) | ||||||
Hamster (STAT2−/− and IL28R-a −/−) strains | (n = 7) | Same as wild type | NA (4) | Greater levels of viral RNA in the lung, spleen, liver, blood, and upper and lower gastrointestinal tract in STAT2−/− hamster vs. WT and IL28ra−/− | Lung pathology and inflammation decreased in (STAT2−/−) but not in IL28R-a−/− hamsters (2,3,4) (2, 3, 4) | Increased IL-6 and IL-10 expression in lungs | NA | |
7–12 weeks (F) | No increase in serum levels of IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-γ (4) | |||||||
STAT2−/− | ||||||||
Boudewijns et al. (2020) [56] | (n = 7) | Same as wild type | NA (4) | Lungs, blood, spleen, liver, upper, & lower gastrointestinal tract | Bronchopneumonia and peribronchiolar inflammation (2,3,4) (2, 3, 4) | High (MMP)-9 levels in lung homogenates compare to WT | NA | |
5–7 weeks (F) | ||||||||
No differences in lung viral RNA levels in WT, vs. STAT2−/− vs. IL28R-a−/− hamsters | Increased IL-6 and IL- | |||||||
IL28R-a−/− | 10 expression in lungs | |||||||
No increase in serum levels of IL-6, IL-10 and IFNγ (4) |