Nasal Mucosa Exploited by SARS-CoV-2 for Replicating and Shedding during Reinfection.

ABSTRACT: Reinfection risk is a great concern with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic because a large proportion of the population has recovered from an initial infection, and previous reports found that primary exposure to SARS-CoV-2 protects against reinfection in rhesus macaques without viral presence and pathological injury; however, a high possibility for reinfection at the current stage of the pandemic has been proven. We found the reinfection of SARS-CoV-2 in Syrian hamsters with continuous viral shedding in the upper respiratory tracts and few injuries in the lung, and nasal mucosa was exploited by SARS-CoV-2 for replication and shedding during reinfection; meanwhile, no viral replication or enhanced damage was observed in the lower respiratory tracts. Consistent with the mild phenotype in the

SUBMITTER: Li H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9394478 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature