SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Infection of Syrian Hamster Does Not Cause More Severe Disease, and Naturally Acquired Immunity Confers Protection
Ivette A. Nuñez, Christopher Z. Lien, Prabhuanand Selvaraj, Charles B. Stauft, Shufeng Liu, Matthew F. Starost, Tony T. Wang
Abstract
The rapid emergence of several variants of concern of SARS-CoV-2 calls for evaluations of viral fitness and pathogenicity in animal models in order to understand the mechanism of enhanced transmission and the possible increases in morbidity and mortality rates. Here, we demonstrated that immunity naturally acquired through a prior infection with the first-wave variant does confer nearly complete protection against the B.1.1.7 variant in Syrian hamsters upon reexposure. Strikingly, although the B.1.1.7 variant appears to replicate to a higher level in the nose than the ancestral B.1 variant, it does not induce more severe lung pathology in hamsters.