SARS-CoV-2 infection augments species- and age-specific predispositions in cotton rats.
Sci Rep 2023;
13:757. [PMID:
36641520 PMCID:
PMC9840169 DOI:
10.1038/s41598-022-27328-y]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterogeneity of COVID-19 manifestations in human population is vast, for reasons unknown. Cotton rats are a clinically relevant small animal model of human respiratory viral infections. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that SARS-CoV-2 infection in cotton rats affects multiple organs and systems, targeting species- and age-specific biological processes. Infection of S. fulviventer, which developed a neutralizing antibody response and were more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 replication in the upper respiratory tract, was accompanied by hyperplasia of lacrimal drainage-associated lymphoid tissue (LDALT), a first known report of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue activation at the portal of SARS-CoV-2 entry. Although less permissive to viral replication, S. hispidus showed hyperplasia of bone marrow in the facial bones and increased pulmonary thrombosis in aged males. Augmentation of these features by SARS-CoV-2 infection suggests a virus-induced breach in regulatory mechanisms which could be devastating for people of all ages with underlying conditions and in particular for elderly with a multitude of ongoing disorders.
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