• Researchers find newer variants of SARS-

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Wed Jan 19 21:30:34 2022
    Researchers find newer variants of SARS-CoV-2 can infect mice, unlike
    the original version of the virus
    The results highlight the potential for the virus to replicate and mutate
    in rodents, which often live in close proximity to humans

    Date:
    January 19, 2022
    Source:
    Georgia State University
    Summary:
    A team of biology researchers has found that some of the newer
    variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 can infect the
    respiratory tract of wild mice, unlike the original strain that
    emerged from China.



    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    A team of biology researchers at Georgia State University has found
    that some of the newer variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 can
    infect the respiratory tract of wild mice, unlike the original strain
    that emerged from China.


    ==========================================================================
    The study, published in the journal Viruses, found that the Alpha
    variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, and the Beta variant,
    first found in South Africa, were able to replicate in the lungs of wild
    mice, which the original version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was not able
    to do without scientists genetically modifying the mice.

    This evolution of the virus means that regular laboratory mice are now a
    useful model for researchers working to understand the virus, including
    the long-term effects suffered by many survivors, and to test possible treatments, said Mukesh Kumar, a virologist and immunologist who led
    the study.

    Kumar said the results also highlight the potential for the virus to
    replicate and mutate in rodents, which often live in close proximity to
    city dwellers.

    "The virus is now able to infect animal species much easier than it used
    to be," Kumar said.

    "So that does raise concerns about bats, rodents and other wild
    animals. There may be another dangerous mutation that happens in animals
    and eventually jumps into humans." Researchers and veterinarians have
    found strains of the virus in white-tailed deer in several states;
    gorillas, big cats, hippos and other animals in zoos; mink raised on
    farms in Europe; and a small number of pet cats and dogs.

    Kumar noted that many animals show few or no symptoms of infection,
    though at least three endangered snow leopards in the U.S. have died due
    to the virus. In Hong Kong, officials plan to euthanize more than 2,000 hamsters after finding nearly a dozen in a pet shop infected with the
    Delta variant, though they noted there was no evidence that the animals
    had infected people.

    Public health experts and researchers generally agree that infected zoo
    animals and pets have likely gotten the virus from people or other animals
    and say there is low risk of transmission from these animals to humans.

    Kumar's team found that the Beta variant was more able to infect mice than
    the Alpha variant and generated a higher viral load in the lungs. The researchers are also studying whether wild mice can be infected with
    the Delta and Omicron variants and expect to release results soon.

    The other authors of the study are Ph.D. students Shannon Stone, Janhavi
    Prasad Natekar, Pratima Kumari, Shaligram Sharma, Heather Pathak and
    Tabassum Tasnim Auroni, and post-doctoral fellows Hussin Alwan Rothan
    and Komal Arora.

    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Georgia_State_University. Note:
    Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Shannon Stone, Hussin Alwan Rothan, Janhavi Prasad Natekar, Pratima
    Kumari, Shaligram Sharma, Heather Pathak, Komal Arora, Tabassum
    Tasnim Auroni, Mukesh Kumar. SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern Infect
    the Respiratory Tract and Induce Inflammatory Response in Wild-Type
    Laboratory Mice. Viruses, 2021; 14 (1): 27 DOI: 10.3390/v14010027 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220119155216.htm

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