Increased pathogenicity and aerosol transmission for one SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 Delta variant over the wild-type strain in hamsters

Xinghai Zhang; Shaohong Chen; Zengguo Cao; Yanfeng Yao; Junping Yu; Junhui Zhou; Ge Gao; Ping He; Zhuo Dong; Jie Zhong; Jing Luo; Hongping Wei; Huajun Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.virs.2022.09.008

December 2022

Citation: Xinghai Zhang, Shaohong Chen, Zengguo Cao, Yanfeng Yao, Junping Yu, Junhui Zhou, Ge Gao, Ping He, Zhuo Dong, Jie Zhong, Jing Luo, Hongping Wei, Huajun Zhang. Increased pathogenicity and aerosol transmission for one SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 Delta variant over the wild-type strain in hamsters .VIROLOGICA SINICA, 2022, 37(6) : 796-803. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.virs.2022.09.008

Increased pathogenicity and aerosol transmission for one SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 Delta variant over the wild-type strain in hamsters

Xinghai Zhang ^{a
,,} ,
Shaohong Chen ^a,b ,
Zengguo Cao ^a ,
Yanfeng Yao ^a ,
Junping Yu ^a ,
Junhui Zhou ^a,b ,
Ge Gao ^a ,
Ping He ^a,b ,
Zhuo Dong ^c ,
Jie Zhong ^c ,
Jing Luo ^c ,
Hongping Wei ^{a
,,} ,
Huajun Zhang ^{a
,,}

a State Key Laboratory of Virology, Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China;
b University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101409, China;
c Hubei International Travel Healthcare Center (Wuhan Customs Port Outpatient Department), Wuhan, 430040, China

Corresponding author: Xinghai Zhang, zhangxh@wh.iov.cn
Hongping Wei, hpwei@wh.iov.cn
Huajun Zhang, hjzhang@wh.iov.cn
Received Date: 17 February 2022
Accepted Date: 26 September 2022
Available online: 29 September 2022

Abstract

During the two-year pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), its causative agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been evolving. SARS-CoV-2 Delta, a variant of concern, has become the dominant circulating strain worldwide within just a few months. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of a new B.1.617.2 Delta strain (Delta630) compared with the early WIV04 strain (WIV04) in vitro and in vivo, in terms of replication, infectivity, pathogenicity, and transmission in hamsters. When inoculated intranasally, Delta630 led to more pronounced weight loss and more severe disease in hamsters. Moreover, 40% mortality occurred about one week after infection with 10⁴ PFU of Delta630, whereas no deaths occurred even after infection with 10⁵ PFU of WIV04 or other strains belonging to the Delta variant. Moreover, Delta630 outgrew over WIV04 in the competitive aerosol transmission experiment. Taken together, the Delta630 strain showed increased replication ability, pathogenicity, and transmissibility over WIV04 in hamsters. To our knowledge, this is the first SARS-CoV-2 strain that causes death in a hamster model, which could be an asset for the efficacy evaluation of vaccines and antivirals against infections of SARS-CoV-2 Delta strains. The underlying molecular mechanisms of increased virulence and transmission await further analysis.
- SARS-CoV-2
- , B.1.617.2 Delta variant
- , Syrian hamsters
- , Pathogenicity
- , Transmission

Electronic Supplementary Material

10.1016j.virs.2022.09.008-ESM.docx
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