Figure 6: Neither age nor sex affects shedding or disease following infection with SARS-CoV-2.

To compare the effects of aging and sex on disease following SARS-CoV-2 infection, young female and male (4–6weeks) and aged female and male (>6months) Syrian hamsters were infected intranasally with 500 ID₅₀ (10³ TCID₅₀) of SARS-CoV-2. Samples were collected at the time points noted. Weights were collected daily, shedding and viral loads in the lungs were measured. (A) Daily weights. (B) Viral genome load recovered from oral swabs at each time point. (C) Viral genome load recovered from rectal swabs at each time point. (D) Viral genome load recovered from lungs at each terminal point. (E) Infectious titers in the lungs. ANOVA was used to compare groups at each time where samples were collected. No significant differences were observed between groups at any time point collected in in this study. Note: blue circles, aged females; red circle, aged male; green circle, young female; purple circle, young male.