Design and validation of an exposure system for efficient inter-animal SARS-CoV-2 airborne transmission in Syrian hamsters.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

The main route of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission is airborne. However, there are few experimental systems that can assess the airborne transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in vivo. Here, we designed, built, and characterized a hamster transmission caging and exposure system that allows for efficient SARS-CoV-2 airborne transmission in Syrian hamsters without contributions from fomite or direct contact transmission. We successfully measured SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in aerosols and demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted efficiently at either a 1:1 or 1:4 infected index to naïve recipient hamster ratio. This is meaningful as a 1:4 infected index to naïve hamster ratio would allow for simultaneous comparisons of various inter

SUBMITTER: Kuehl PJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10714807 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature