Syrian hamster convalescence from prototype SARS-CoV-2 confers measurable protection against the attenuated disease caused by the Omicron variant.

ABSTRACT: The mutation profile of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (lineage BA.1) variant posed a concern for naturally acquired and vaccine-induced immunity. We investigated the ability of prior infection with an early SARS-CoV-2 ancestral isolate (Australia/VIC01/2020, VIC01) to protect against disease caused by BA.1. We established that BA.1 infection in naïve Syrian hamsters resulted in a less severe disease than a comparable dose of the ancestral virus, with fewer clinical signs including less weight loss. We present data to show that these clinical observations were almost absent in convalescent hamsters challenged with the same dose of BA.1 50 days after an initial infection with ancestral virus. These data provide evidence that convalescent immunity against ancestral SARS-CoV-2 is protective against B

SUBMITTER: Ryan KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10104347 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature