Characterization and antiviral susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.

ABSTRACT: The recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529 lineage) variants possessing numerous mutations has raised concerns of decreased effectiveness of current vaccines, therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs for COVID-19 against these variants^1,2. The original Omicron lineage, BA.1, prevailed in many countries, but more recently, BA.2 has become dominant in at least 68 countries³. Here we evaluated the replicative ability and pathogenicity of authentic infectious BA.2 isolates in immunocompetent and human ACE2-expressing mice and hamsters. In contrast to recent data with chimeric, recombinant SARS-CoV-2 strains expressing the spike proteins of BA.1 and BA.2 on an ancestral WK-521 backbone⁴, we observed similar infectivity and pathogenicity i

SUBMITTER: Uraki R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10579982 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature