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SARS-CoV-2 disease severity and transmission efficiency is increased for airborne compared to fomite exposure in Syrian hamsters.

ABSTRACT: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is driven by contact, fomite, and airborne transmission. The relative contribution of different transmission routes remains subject to debate. Here, we show Syrian hamsters are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection through intranasal, aerosol and fomite exposure. Different routes of exposure present with distinct disease manifestations. Intranasal and aerosol inoculation causes severe respiratory pathology, higher virus loads and increased weight loss. In contrast, fomite exposure leads to milder disease manifestation characterized by an anti-inflammatory immune state and delayed shedding pattern. Whereas the overall magnitude of respiratory virus shedding is not linked to disease severity, the onset of shedding is. Early shedding is linked to an increase in disease severity. Airborne transmission is more efficient than fomite transmission and dependent on the direction of the airflow. Carefully characterized SARS-CoV-2 transmission models will be crucial to assess potential changes in transmission and pathogenic potential in the light of the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 evolution

ORGANISM(S): Mesocricetus auratus

PROVIDER: GSE177027 | GEO | 2021/08/04

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Multiple respiratory viruses including Influenza A virus (IAV) can be transmitted via expiratory aerosol particles, and many studies have established that environmental conditions can affect viral infectivity during airborne transmission. Low aerosol pH was recently identified as a major factor influencing the infectivity of aerosol-borne IAV and SARS-CoV-2, however, there is a fundamental lack of understanding as to the mechanisms leading to viral inactivation within the acidic aerosol micro-environment. Here, we identified that the early stages of the IAV infection cycle were impacted by transient exposure to acidic aerosol conditions (pH below 5.5), which was primarily attributed to loss of binding function of the viral protein haemagglutinin. Viral capsid integrity was also somewhat affected by transient acidic exposure. We then characterised the structural changes associated with loss of viral infectivity using whole-virus hydrogen-deuterium exchange coupled to mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), and observed discrete regions of unfolding in the external viral protein haemagglutinin and in the internal matrix protein 1. Viral nucleoprotein structure appeared to be unaffected by exposure to acidic aerosol conditions, and no changes to viral genome integrity or to lipids within the viral envelope were detected using our whole-virus methods. Collectively, these data indicate that viral inactivation observed under indoor aerosol conditions is mediated by specific protein conformational changes, particularly to haemagglutinin. This study additionally provides a proof-of-concept that HDX-MS is a highly effective method for characterisation of internal and external proteins of whole enveloped viruses such as IAV. Overall, improved understanding of the fate of respiratory viruses within exhaled aerosols will aid the development of novel strategies and therapeutics to control the severity of seasonal and/or pandemic influenza, and constitutes a global public health priority.

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SARS-CoV-2 disease severity and transmission efficiency is increased for airborne compared to fomite exposure in Syrian hamsters.

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