Susceptibility and Resistance of Inbred Strains of Syrian Golden Hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) to Wasting Disease Caused by Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus: Pathogenesis of Lethal and Non-lethal Infections

Abstract

SUMMARYIn different strains of inbred Syrian golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) strains WE and Armstrong (ARM) produced systemic infection with infective virus and viral antigens detected predominantly in reticuloendothelial organs. Host and virus strain-dependent fatal wasting disease also occurred. After infection with WE, all MHA and PD4 hamsters died of a progressive wasting disease and infectivity persisted in organs at relatively high titres. LSH and CB strain hamsters resisted lethal disease and totally eliminated infection. LVG and LHC strain hamsters were intermediate in susceptibility to WE; some died of wasting and had persistently infected organs, while others cleared infection and survived. ARM was avirulent causing an inapparent infection in all hamsters. LCMV antibody responses were temporally comparable for all hamsters with either lethal or non-lethal infection. Histologically, lymphoid hyperplasia and low-grade systemic perivascular mononuclear leukocyte infiltration were found in all LCMV-infected hamsters. However, non-necrotic segmental ileal changes, which included vascular congestion, minimal haemorrhage and crypt epithelial growth extension into the intestinal wall, were found in susceptible hamsters when infected with the lethal WE strain.

Hamster models of COVID-19 pneumonia reviewed: How human can they be?

“…Several limitations apply to hamster models of COVID-19, both with regard to technical readout options and in terms of factors that influence the outcome and reproducibility of experimental infections. Although Syrian hamsters with several mostly outbred lines have been employed for decades in experimental research, and despite the availability of several knockout lines, 13,16,37,70 much less diagnostic and molecular tools are at hand when compared with the mouse, including antibodies applicable for IHC. ISH of mRNA molecules is available as an alternative but may yield different information depending on, for example, the expression levels or biological half-life of the protein or mRNA molecules of interest, respectively.…”

“…Although distinct inbred and outbred strains of Syrian hamsters including the MHA, PD4, LSH, and CB strains have long been established to respond quite differently to other experimental infections, 37 such hamster strains have so far not been compared to each other in their responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, drastically different outcomes were observed when other hamster species were used as models, which are all naturally susceptible to the infection due to their similarly high homologies to relevant parts of the human ACE2 receptor.…”

Animal Models, Prophylaxis, and Therapeutics for Arenavirus Infections

“…However, immunosupression of hamsters can lead to LCMV susceptibility [47]. When MHA hamsters are inoculated with the WE strain of LCMV, the animals demonstrated viremia and experience weight loss and death 2 to 3 weeks post-challenge that results from severe wasting [48]. …”

Small mammal virology

“…The manifestation of disease in hamsters experimentally infected with LCMV may give some insight into natural disease progression [39]. Disease manifestation varies with virus and hamster strain and the age of inoculation [40,41]. Experimental in utero or perinatal infections produce a subclinical persistent infection or a chronic, progressive wasting disease associated with immune complex glomerulonephritis, vasculitis, and multiorgan inflammation.…”