Table 2.
Clinical signs, viral replication and pathology of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV in humans and various animal models.
| Species | Virus |
|
|---|---|---|
| SARS-CoV | MERS-CoV | |
| Humans | • Clinical signs include fever and respiratory illness. • Lung pathology is consistent with pneumonia and acute lung injury. |
• Clinical signs include fever and respiratory illness. Some patients develop renal failure. • Lung pathology samples are not available for investigation. |
| NHP | • Rhesus macaques, cynomolgus macaques, African green monkeys and common marmosets are susceptible to infection. Clinical signs, viral replication and pathology depend on the species. | • Rhesus macaques develop a transient infection with moderate viral replication and pathology in the lung. • Common marmosets have a more severe response to the virus with higher viral titers and severe pathology in the lungs. Lethality is also observed in this model. |
| Mice | • Young inbred mice (BALB/c, C57BL6, 129S) support viral replication but fail to show clinical signs of disease. • Older inbred mice (BALB/c), knockout mice (STAT 1−/−, Rag 1−/−, CD1−/−, Beige) and transgenic mice (K18-hACE2, A70-hACE2) develop generalized illness, robust viral growth and pronounced lung pathology consistent with pneumonia and acute lung injury. The K18-hACE2 transgenic mice develop central nervous system disease, which is not a feature in humans. |
• Inbred mice are not naturally susceptible to infection. • Transduced mice (Ad5-hDPP4) develop clinical signs and support replication of virus with interstitial pneumonia and viral antigen found in the lungs. • Transgenic mice (hCD26/DPP4) develop robust respiratory and generalized illness with high viral titers and extensive inflammation in the lungs. Lethality was also observed in this model. |
| Hamsters | • Clinical illness (measured by a decrease in activity on the exercise wheel) is accompanied by viral replication and pronounced histopathological changes such as inflammation, pneumonitis and consolidation in the lungs. | • Hamsters do not support replication. |
| Ferrets | • Clinical illness (fever and sneezing), is accompanied by viral replication and histologic changes in the lungs. | • Ferrets do not support replication. |
| Rabbits | • The rabbit model has not been investigated. | • The rabbit model is currently under investigation. |