This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri butio n-NonCo mmercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. AbstractBackground: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which is not fully understood in regard to certain transmission routes and pathogenesis and lacks specific therapeutics and vaccines, poses a global threat to public health. Methods:To simulate the clinical aerosol transmission route, hDPP4 transgenic mice were infected with MERS-CoV by an animal nose-only exposure device and compared with instillation-inoculated mice. The challenged mice were observed for 14 consecutive days and necropsied on days 3, 5, 7, and 9 to analyze viral load, histopathology, viral antigen distribution, and cytokines in tissues. Results: MERS-CoV aerosol-infected mice with an incubation period of 5-7 daysshowed weight loss on days 7-11, obvious lung lesions on day 7, high viral loads in the lungs on days 3-9 and in the brain on days 7-9, and 60% survival. MERS-CoV instillation-inoculated mice exhibited clinical signs on day 1, obvious lung lesions on days 3-5, continuous weight loss, 0% survival by day 5, and high viral loads in the lungs and brain on days 3-5. Viral antigen and high levels of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines were detected in the aerosol and instillation groups. Disease, lung lesion, and viral replication progressions were slower in the MERS-CoV aerosol-infected mice than in the MERS-CoV instillation-inoculated mice.Conclusion: hDPP4 transgenic mice were successfully infected with MERS-CoV aerosols via an animal nose-only exposure device, and aerosol-and instillation-infected mice simulated the clinical symptoms of moderate diffuse interstitial pneumonia.However, the transgenic mice exposed to aerosol MERS-CoV developed disease and lung pathology progressions that more closely resembled those observed in humans. K E Y W O R D Sanimal nose-only exposure device, hDPP4 transgenic mice, intranasal instillation, MERS-CoV aerosol infection
Emerging zoonoses of wildlife origin caused by previously unknown agents are one of the most important challenges for human health. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau represents a unique ecological niche with diverse wildlife that harbours several human pathogens and numerous previously uncharacterized pathogens. In this study, we identified and characterized a novel arenavirus (namely, plateau pika virus, PPV) from plateau pikas ( Ochotona curzoniae ) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau by virome analysis. Isolated PPV strains could replicate in several mammalian cells. We further investigated PPV pathogenesis using animal models. PPV administered via an intraventricular route caused trembling and sudden death in IFNαβR -/- mice, and pathological inflammatory lesions in brain tissue were observed. According to a retrospective serological survey in the geographical region where PPV was isolated, PPV-specific IgG antibodies were detected in 8 (2.4%) of 335 outpatients with available sera. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that this virus was clearly separated from previously reported New and Old World mammarenaviruses. Under the co-speciation framework, the estimated divergence time of PPV was 77–88 million years ago (MYA), earlier than that of OW and NW mammarenaviruses (26-34 MYA).
Influenza A (H1N1) is a rapidly spreading acute respiratory illness that remains a worldwide burden on public health. To simulate natural infection routes, BALB/C mice were challenged with the H1N1 virus by aerosol and intranasal instillation routes. We compared the weight change and survival of the mice for 14 consecutive days after infection. The infected mice were euthanized at days 3, 5, 7, and 9 to perform necropsies, lung pathological analyses, viral titers measurement, and lung cytokines examination. The aerosol-treated mice showed clinical symptoms on day 4, obvious lung lesions on day 5, rapid weight loss on day 7, peak virus replication in the lungs on days 7 to 9, and bronchial epithelial hyperplasia on day 9. However, after intranasal instillation, the mice exhibited clinical signs on day 2, rapid weight loss and obvious lung lesions on day 3, and peak virus replication in the lungs on days 3 to 5; no bronchial epithelial hyperplasia was detected. High levels of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines were detected in the lungs of infected mice by both two routes.Disease and lung lesion progressions were slower in the mice that inhaled H1N1containing aerosols than in those treated by intranasal instillation, and lung lesions were homogeneous in the aerosol group and heterogeneous in the intranasal group. In this study, BALB/C mouse models of H1N1 virus aerosol inhalation were successfully established and compared with mouse models of intranasal inoculation, aerosol mouse models had an infection route and lung pathology characteristics that more closely resembled those observed in humans. K E Y W O R D Saerosol inhalation, H1N1 virus aerosol, intranasal instillation, mouse models
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