Upper Respiratory Infection Drives Clinical Signs and Inflammatory Responses Following Heterologous Challenge of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in K18 Mice.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in the emergence of several variants of concern (VOC) with increased immune evasion and transmissibility. This has motivated studies to assess protection conferred by earlier strains following infection or vaccination to each new VOC. We hypothesized that while NAbs play a major role in protection against infection and disease, a heterologous reinfection or challenge may gain a foothold in the upper respiratory tract (URT) and result in a self-limited viral infection accompanied by an inflammatory response. To test this hypothesis, we infected K18-hACE2 mice with SARS-CoV-2 USA-WA1/2020 (WA1) and, after 24 days, challenged with WA1, Alpha, or Delta. While NAb titers against each virus were simila

SUBMITTER: Nichols JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10144791 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature