Animal Model Research of SARS-CoV-2 and the Value of Imaging

A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 5467

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Biomedical Primate Research Centre, 2288GJ Rijswijk, The Netherlands
Interests: imaging; preclinical research; translational research

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Guest Editor
Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, 8221 RA Lelystad, The Netherlands
Interests: living environment; health; lifestyle and livelihood

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Guest Editor
Central Veterinary Institute, Part of Wageningen, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Interests: bacteriology; host pathogen interaction & diagnostics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The translational value of research findings in animal models is sometimes questioned. Nevertheless, in the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, animal models represent an indispensable component of transmission and vaccine studies. Without these studies, there is a realistic chance that there would have been no vaccine available yet. As new variants of concern emerge, and more data become available about disease manifestations outside the respiratory tract and delayed recovery of persons infected by SARS-CoV-2, the role of research and animal models is still highly relevant. In these studies, imaging, from all different kind of perspectives not only medical imaging but also pathology or for instance whole body plesmathography, is a non-invasive tool widely used in both human and veterinary research and medicine, which enables qualitative and quantitative characterization of the disease over a longer period. Imaging has proven to be a powerful method in characterizing and monitoring SARS-CoV-2. With this Special Issue, we invite researchers to contribute with articles describing the features of SARS-CoV-2 in different animal models using different imaging techniques. We also welcome papers addressing the manifestation of disease outside the respiratory tract. Moreover, considering that we are dealing with an infection which can cause long-term symptoms both after a mild and severe disease process, there is a special interest in research investigating and visualizing long COVID or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2.

Dr. Marieke Stammes
Dr. Fuus Thate
Dr. Norbert Stockhofe
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • preclinical research
  • translational research
  • imaging
  • rodents
  • nonhuman primates
  • birds
  • mammals
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • long COVID-19
  • disease susceptibility
  • disease progression

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 5173 KiB  
Article
Histopathologic Characterization of Experimental Peracute SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Syrian Hamster
by Chad S. Clancy, Kimberly Meade-White, Carl Shaia, Greg Saturday, Heinz Feldmann and Kyle Rosenke
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(9), 536; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10090536 - 23 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1207
Abstract
Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) initiated a global pandemic that thus far has resulted in the death of over 6.5 million people internationally. Understanding the viral tropism during the initial, subclinical phase of infection is critical to develop targeted vaccines and therapeutics. With [...] Read more.
Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) initiated a global pandemic that thus far has resulted in the death of over 6.5 million people internationally. Understanding the viral tropism during the initial, subclinical phase of infection is critical to develop targeted vaccines and therapeutics. With the continued emergence of variants of concern, particularly those that appear to have a tropism for the upper respiratory tract, understanding the complete pathogenesis is critical to develop more effective interventions. Thus far, the Syrian hamster has served as the most consistent small animal model of SARS-CoV-2 infection for mild to moderate respiratory disease. Herein, we utilize histopathology and immunohistochemistry to characterize the peracute phase of disease initiating at 6-h-post-inoculation in the intranasal inoculation route Syrian hamster model. Inflammation and viral replication initiates in the respiratory epithelium of nasal turbinates as early as 12-h-post-inoculation and moves caudally through the nasal cavity by 36-h-post inoculation. Lower respiratory involvement can be detected as early as 12-h-post inoculation in the intranasal inoculated hamster model. These data highlight the importance of rostral nasal cavity sampling at early timepoints for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the Syrian hamster model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Model Research of SARS-CoV-2 and the Value of Imaging)
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11 pages, 297 KiB  
Article
SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance between 2020 and 2021 of All Mammalian Species in Two Flemish Zoos (Antwerp Zoo and Planckendael Zoo)
by Léa Joffrin, Tine Cooreman, Erik Verheyen, Francis Vercammen, Joachim Mariën, Herwig Leirs and Sophie Gryseels
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(6), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10060382 - 31 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1369
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to millions of human infections and deaths worldwide. Several other mammal species are also susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, and multiple instances of transmission from humans to pets, farmed mink, wildlife and zoo animals have been recorded. We conducted a [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to millions of human infections and deaths worldwide. Several other mammal species are also susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, and multiple instances of transmission from humans to pets, farmed mink, wildlife and zoo animals have been recorded. We conducted a systematic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in all mammal species in two zoos in Belgium between September and December 2020 and July 2021, in four sessions, and a targeted surveillance of selected mammal enclosures following SARS-CoV-2 infection in hippopotamuses in December 2021. A total of 1523 faecal samples from 103 mammal species were tested for SARS-CoV-2 via real-time PCR. None of the samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Additional surrogate virus neutralisation tests conducted on 50 routinely collected serum samples from 26 mammal species were all negative. This study is the first to our knowledge to conduct active SARS-CoV-2 surveillance for several months in all mammal species of a zoo. We conclude that at the time of our investigation, none of the screened animals were excreting SARS-CoV-2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Model Research of SARS-CoV-2 and the Value of Imaging)
10 pages, 918 KiB  
Article
Human ELISA Detects anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Cats: Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Virus Spread in Domestic and Stray Cats in Bulgaria
by Ivo Sirakov, Nikolina Rusenova, Anton Rusenov, Raina Gergova and Tanya Strateva
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10010042 - 06 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1823
Abstract
The aim of this study was to verify whether the human DR-ELISA for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies can be applied in cats, and to assess the risk factors that determine the spread of the virus among the cat population in Bulgaria. The [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to verify whether the human DR-ELISA for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies can be applied in cats, and to assess the risk factors that determine the spread of the virus among the cat population in Bulgaria. The study included 92 serum samples collected from 68 domestic and 24 stray cats aged from 3 months to 20 years of age in the period of January–June 2021. The samples originated from three regions in Bulgaria and from three places of inhabitance. DR-ELISA based on peroxidase-labeled SARS-CoV-2 N protein was employed to detect IgA, IgG and IgM antibodies in the samples. Subsequently, the results were compared with a commercially available multi-species ELISA kit. There was high seroprevalence (83.33%) in stray cats and 41.18% in domestic cats, confirmed by the human and veterinary ELISA kit. The positive cases in the regional cities were 42.86%, in small towns 50% and in villages 78.26%. Cats under 7 years had a five times higher risk than those over 7 years (p = 0.001). The risk was seven times higher for stray cats than for domestic cats (p = 0.001). In addition, the results indicate that the risk was the highest for cats in villages (p = 0.006) compared to cats in other places of inhabitance. This study demonstrates that human DR-ELISA may be successfully applied to monitor the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in cats and other susceptible species. Cats might serve as sentinel animals for tracking the virus in nature and in inhabited areas (strays) and to discover asymptomatic cases in humans/owners. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Model Research of SARS-CoV-2 and the Value of Imaging)
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