Fig. 3. Pathogenicity of Nsp5-L50F/E166V and Nsp5-L50F/E166A/L167F in vivo.
a, b Hamsters were intranasally inoculated with 105 PFU of the indicated viruses or with phosphate-buffered saline (mock). Body weight (a) and respiratory functions (Penh and Rpef) (b) of virus-infected (n = 5) and mock-infected hamsters (n = 5) were measured daily for 10 days and by using whole-body plethysmography. Data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation and were analyzed by using a two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparisons. c Virus propagation in the nasal turbinate and lungs of hamsters. Hamsters (n = 10) were intranasally inoculated with 105 PFU of the indicated viruses and the nasal turbinates and lungs were collected at 3 and 6 dpi for virus titration (n = 5 per day). Virus titers were determined by use of plaque assays with VeroE6/TMPRSS2 cells. Points indicate data from individual hamsters and bars show the mean ± standard deviation. The lower limit of detection is indicated by the horizontal dashed line. Data were analyzed by using a one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparisons.