Pathogenic and transcriptomic differences of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants in the Syrian golden hamster model

Following the discovery of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its rapid spread throughout the world, new viral variants of concern (VOC) have emerged. There is a critical need to understand the impact of the emerging variants on host response and disease dynamics to facilitate the development of vaccines and therapeutics. Syrian golden hamsters are the leading small animal model that recapitulates key aspects of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we show that intranasal inoculation of SARS-CoV-2 into hamsters with the ancestral virus (nCoV-WA1–2020) or VOC first identified in the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7) and South Africa (B.1.351) led to similar gross and histopathologic pulmonary lesions. Although differences in viral genomic copy numbers were noted in the lungs and oral swabs of challenged animals, infectious titers in the lungs were comparable. Antibody neutralization capacities varied, dependent on the original challenge virus and cross-variant protective capacity. Transcriptional profiling indicated significant induction of antiviral pathways in response to all three challenges with a more robust inflammatory signature in response to B.1.1.7. Furthermore, no additional mutations in the spike protein were detected at peak disease. In conclusion, the emerging VOC showed distinct humoral responses and transcriptional profiles in the hamster model compared to the ancestral virus.