Figure 6.
Titers of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in sera and SARS-CoV-2 quantification in oropharyngeal swabs derived from of infected dwarf hamsters. Roborovski dwarf hamsters (P. roborovskii) were immunized i.n. with 1×105 particles either NILV-PanCoVac (9 animals) or NILV (9 animals). After 21 days, the hamsters were challenged with a sublethal dose (1×104 pfu) of the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 (Wuhan) strain. At 2 dpi, 5 dpi, and 7 dpi, three animals of each group were sacrificed and sera and oropharyngeal swabs were collected for further analysis. (A) Titers of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies were determined. Shown is the maximal serum dilution that still completely neutralized SARS-CoV-2 in a cell culture assay. (B) SARS-CoV-2 genome copy numbers in oropharyngeal swabs derived from animals vaccinated either with NILV-PanCoVac or NILV (control) were determined. One animal in the NILV-vaccinated group scheduled for the analysis at 7 dpi (Hamster No. 8) died at 4 dpi. The corresponding serum and oropharyngeal swab, respectively was analyzed together with the probes scheduled for 5 dpi resulting in 4 measured values at this time point.