Administration of aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 to K18-hACE2 mice uncouples respiratory infection from fatal neuroinvasion.

ABSTRACT: The development of a tractable small animal model faithfully reproducing human coronavirus disease 2019 pathogenesis would arguably meet a pressing need in biomedical research. Thus far, most investigators have used transgenic mice expressing the human ACE2 in epithelial cells (K18-hACE2 transgenic mice) that are intranasally instilled with a liquid severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) suspension under deep anesthesia. Unfortunately, this experimental approach results in disproportionate high central nervous system infection leading to fatal encephalitis, which is rarely observed in humans and severely limits this model’s usefulness. Here, we describe the use of an inhalation tower system that allows exposure of unanesthetized mice to aerosolized virus under control

SUBMITTER: Fumagalli V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9835999 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature