Special Issue "SARS-CoV-2 and Animal Models"

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2022.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. F. Javier Salguero
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Public Health England, PHE Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK
Interests: comparative pathology; animal models; infectious diseases; zoonoses; public health; transboundary and emerging diseases; 3Rs

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in a highly significant public health concern worldwide. Animal models for SARS-CoV-2 infection were established quite rapidly after the initial phases of the pandemic, and they have been crucial to the development of vaccines and therapies against the disease. However, infections and disease models recapitulating the range of the severity of the infection in humans are still missing. Moreover, the emergence of new variants of concern in different regions will need further studies of pathogenicity and transmission, and animal models will play an important role in elucidating the key aspects of these. The development of alternative models in line with the 3Rs is also an important approach to gain further insight into the pathogenesis of this disease.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide data on the development and application of animal models of SARS-CoV-2 together with new in vitro technologies that will help characterise the infection by this virus and produce effective prophylactic and therapeutic approaches to combat the pandemic.

Dr. F. Javier Salguero
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • SARS-CoV-2
  • COVID-19
  • animal model
  • infectious disease
  • coronavirus
  • pathology
  • 3Rs
  • immune response
  • in vitro
  • in vivo

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Article
The Post-Acute Phase of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Two Macaque Species Is Associated with Signs of Ongoing Virus Replication and Pathology in Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Tissues
Viruses 2021, 13(8), 1673; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13081673 - 23 Aug 2021
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Abstract
The post-acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection was investigated in rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis). During the acute phase of infection, SARS-CoV-2 was shed via the nose and throat, and viral RNA was occasionally detected in feces. [...] Read more.
The post-acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection was investigated in rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis). During the acute phase of infection, SARS-CoV-2 was shed via the nose and throat, and viral RNA was occasionally detected in feces. This phase coincided with a transient change in systemic immune activation. Even after the alleged resolution of the infection, computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET)-CT revealed pulmonary lesions and activated tracheobronchial lymph nodes in all animals. Post-mortem histological examination of the lung tissue revealed mostly marginal or resolving minimal lesions that were indicative of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Evidence for SARS-CoV-2-induced histopathology was also found in extrapulmonary tissue samples, such as conjunctiva, cervical, and mesenteric lymph nodes. However, 5–6 weeks after SARS-CoV-2 exposure, upon necropsy, viral RNA was still detectable in a wide range of tissue samples in 50% of the macaques and included amongst others the heart, the respiratory tract and surrounding lymph nodes, salivary gland, and conjunctiva. Subgenomic messenger RNA was detected in the lungs and tracheobronchial lymph nodes, indicative of ongoing virus replication during the post-acute phase. These results could be relevant for understanding the long-term consequences of COVID-19 in humans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue SARS-CoV-2 and Animal Models)
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Article
Clinical and Histopathologic Features of a Feline SARS-CoV-2 Infection Model Are Analogous to Acute COVID-19 in Humans
Viruses 2021, 13(8), 1550; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13081550 - 05 Aug 2021
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Abstract
The emergence and ensuing dominance of COVID-19 on the world stage has emphasized the urgency of efficient animal models for the development of therapeutics for and assessment of immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Shortcomings of current animal models for SARS-CoV-2 include limited lower [...] Read more.
The emergence and ensuing dominance of COVID-19 on the world stage has emphasized the urgency of efficient animal models for the development of therapeutics for and assessment of immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Shortcomings of current animal models for SARS-CoV-2 include limited lower respiratory disease, divergence from clinical COVID-19 disease, and requirements for host genetic modifications to permit infection. In this study, n = 12 specific-pathogen-free domestic cats were infected intratracheally with SARS-CoV-2 to evaluate clinical disease, histopathologic lesions, and viral infection kinetics at 4 and 8 days post-inoculation; n = 6 sham-inoculated cats served as controls. Intratracheal inoculation of SARS-CoV-2 produced a significant degree of clinical disease (lethargy, fever, dyspnea, and dry cough) consistent with that observed in the early exudative phase of COVID-19. Pulmonary lesions such as diffuse alveolar damage, hyaline membrane formation, fibrin deposition, and proteinaceous exudates were also observed with SARS-CoV-2 infection, replicating lesions identified in people hospitalized with ARDS from COVID-19. A significant correlation was observed between the degree of clinical disease identified in infected cats and pulmonary lesions. Viral loads and ACE2 expression were also quantified in nasal turbinates, distal trachea, lungs, and other organs. Results of this study validate a feline model for SARS-CoV-2 infection that results in clinical disease and histopathologic lesions consistent with acute COVID-19 in humans, thus encouraging its use for future translational studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue SARS-CoV-2 and Animal Models)
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