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Written by: Chen Jingqi
2020-05-14 20:15
Last update date: 2020-05-14 20:15The epidemic of the new coronavirus has spread all over the world, and many patients have developed symptoms of loss of taste or smell. The research team of the School of Public Health and the Department of Pathology of the Hong Kong University School of Medicine used golden hamsters to study the pathogenesis and transmission pattern of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The study found that the symptoms of hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2 are similar to the mild symptoms of humans after 2019 coronavirus infection; infected hamsters can spread the virus to other hamsters through direct contact or air.
The study also found that SARS-CoV-2 can infect the olfactory neurons in the nasal mucosa of hamsters, but the damage to the olfactory neurons seems to be only temporary in nature, and the related tissues will be quickly repaired later. Therefore, the research reflects that in animal models, the olfactory damage caused by infection does not seem to be permanent.
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Associate Professor Yan Huiling of the School of Public Health of the Hong Kong University School of Medicine and her research team conducted a series of experiments in the "three-level biosafety level laboratory" at the core facility of the Hong Kong University School of Medicine. The study found that SARS-CoV-2 can replicate in the hamster's respiratory tract and intestines, causing pneumonia and significant weight loss. In addition to infecting nasal epithelial cells, studies have also shown that SARS-CoV-2 can infect olfactory neurons in the nasal mucosa of hamsters. This finding may provide an explanation for the temporary loss of olfaction in some patients with 2019 coronavirus disease.
In addition, the damage to the olfactory neurons seems to be only temporary, and the related tissues will be repaired quickly. In terms of transmission mode, hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2 can spread the virus to other hamsters through direct contact or air, and the transmission efficiency through contaminated cages (pollutants) is lower. This hamster animal model will help to study the effectiveness of new coronavirus interventions (drugs and vaccines) and their mode of transmission.
The research team was able to detect viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the nasal cavity or feces of hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2 for at least 14 consecutive days, but only infectious viruses were detected in the first 6 days after their infection.
Virus transmission period is less than 6 days
Studies have shown that the effective transmission period of the virus from infected hamsters to other hamsters is less than 6 days, which refers to the period of virus transmission. It is related to whether an infectious virus can be detected in infected hamsters, not to "Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction" (RT-PCR) detected viral RNA related. Therefore, researchers can continue to detect viral RNA in infected animals (and patients) for several weeks, but hamsters (or patients) usually cannot detect infectious viruses after a week of symptoms, so they no longer have Communication ability.
Associate Professor Yan Huiling (third from left) of the School of Public Health of the University of Hong Kong Medical School said that the results of the study are consistent with Hong Kong ’s recent guidelines for termination of isolation of patients with new coronavirus. (Provided by HKU Medical School)
Yan Huiling said that the results of the study are consistent with Hong Kong's recent guidelines for termination of isolation of patients with new coronavirus. However, Li Guosi, a clinical professor in the Department of Pathology of the Hong Kong University School of Medicine, added that damage to the nasal mucosa epithelium and neurons after infection with the virus can not only explain the mechanism of the patient's loss of smell. It also shows that, at least in animal models, the olfactory damage caused by infection does not seem to be permanent.
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