SARS-CoV-2 Infection Via the Oral Exposure In Hamsters
Abstract
COVID-19 is a global public health emergency caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Food safety is a major consideration during a pandemic. Food products, such as produce, may become inadvertently contaminated during harvest, production and subsequent sales to consumers in the United States. Moreover, a fecal-oral transmission risk may exist due to the prolonged excretion of SARS-CoV-2 from the gastrointestinal tract: several reports have identified the presence of high levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in feces, although infectious virus has not yet been recovered. We do not currently know the risk posed by oral exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The SARS-CoV-2 virus infects human cells by binding to the ACE2 receptor. The hamster has a similar ACE2 gene to the human and therefore is a good candidate for an animal model of COVID-19. Our first study of oral inoculation of hamsters indicated shedding of viral RNA in the feces for at least 7 days with the UK variant. The objective of this study was to examine the disease state that develops in the hamster following oral infection with SARS-CoV-2. Two variants of the SARS-CoV-2 were tested. WA-1 strain showed little indication of infection, but this particular virus stock was known to have a mutation in the furan cleavage site, which may have impacted the ability of the virus to infect. The UK strain established an infection, with modest signs of infection (rough coat and squinty eyes), a possible trend toward weight loss, and substantial amounts of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in feces, rectal swabs, and nasal washes, demonstrating successful infection. TCID50 was negative for all samples, so it is unclear if infectious viral particles were being shed via feces.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1193491
Entities
People
- Carl Gelhaus
- Gene Olinger
- Kent Lohman
- Phillip H. Beske
- William Sosna