SARS-CoV-2 infection in hamsters and humans results in lasting and unique systemic perturbations after recovery. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • The host response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can result in prolonged pathologies collectively referred to as post-acute sequalae of COVID-19 (PASC) or long COVID. To better understand the mechanism underlying long COVID biology, we compared the short- and long-term systemic responses in the golden hamster after either SARS-CoV-2 or influenza A virus (IAV) infection. Results demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 exceeded IAV in its capacity to cause permanent injury to the lung and kidney and uniquely affected the olfactory bulb (OB) and olfactory epithelium (OE). Despite a lack of detectable infectious virus, the OB and OE demonstrated myeloid and T cell activation, proinflammatory cytokine production, and an interferon response that correlated with behavioral changes extending a month after viral clearance. These sustained transcriptional changes could also be corroborated from tissue isolated from individuals who recovered from COVID-19. These data highlight a molecular mechanism for persistent COVID-19 symptomology and provide a small animal model to explore future therapeutics.

publication date

  • September 28, 2022

Research

keywords

  • COVID-19

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC9210449

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85131804671

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1186/s13059-019-1910-1

PubMed ID

  • 35857629

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 14

issue

  • 664