Pathogenicity, transmissibility, and fitness of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in Syrian hamsters
Pathogenicity, transmissibility, and fitness of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in Syrian hamsters
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DOI：
10.1126/science.abn8939
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发表时间：
2022-07-22
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Chan, Jasper Fuk-Woo
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Yuan, Shuofeng;Ye, Zi-Wei;Chan, Jasper Fuk-Woo
严重急性呼吸道综合征冠状病毒2型（SARS-CoV-2）Omicron（B.1.1.529）变异体的体内致病性、传播性和适应性尚不清楚。我们在COVID-19的叙利亚仓鼠模型中比较了这种新的关注变体（VOC）与Delta（B.1.617.2）变体的病毒学属性。与Delta感染的仓鼠相比，Omicron感染的仓鼠体重减轻显著更少，并且表现出临床评分、呼吸道病毒负荷、细胞因子和趋化因子失调以及肺损伤降低。这两种变异都是通过接触传播的。在非接触传播研究中，Omicron表现出与Delta相似或更高的传播率。Delta在没有选择压力的情况下击败了Omicron，但是一旦引入了中和抗体的免疫选择压力，这种情况就改变了-对Delta有活性，但对Omicron活性很差。因此，迫切需要有效对抗这种新VOC的下一代疫苗和抗病毒药物。
The in vivo pathogenicity, transmissibility, and fitness of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant are not well understood. We compared these virological attributes of this new variant of concern (VOC) with those of the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant in a Syrian hamster model of COVID-19. Omicron-infected hamsters lost significantly less body weight and exhibited reduced clinical scores, respiratory tract viral burdens, cytokine and chemokine dysregulation, and lung damage than Delta-infected hamsters. Both variants were highly transmissible through contact transmission. In noncontact transmission studies Omicron demonstrated similar or higher transmissibility than Delta. Delta outcompeted Omicron without selection pressure, but this scenario changed once immune selection pressure with neutralizing antibodies-active against Delta but poorly active against Omicron-was introduced. Next-generation vaccines and antivirals effective against this new VOC are therefore urgently needed.