[Clinical symptoms and signs in hamsters during experimental infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (Coronaviridae:

At the beginning of December 2019, humanity has faced a new problem caused by coronavirus. In Hubei province of central China, epidemic events associated with severe primary viral pneumonia in humans began to develop. The isolated etiological agent was identified as a representative of In our work, we assessed the replicative ability and pathogenesis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in hamsters. Syrian hamsters ( SARS-CoV-2 virus isolates showed efficient replication in the lungs of hamsters, causing pathological lung lesions in animals infected intranasally. Clinical manifestations of the disease in hamsters infected with this virus were characterized by a decrease in temperature and body weight, wetness and ruffled fur, and frequent stroking of the nasal planum. High virus titers were observed following the virus isolation in cell cultures from nasal, oral swabs and lungs of animals infected intranasally. Pathological autopsy demonstrated pathological changes in the lungs. Moreover, transmission by airborne droplets has been established when a healthy hamster was kept together with animals infected using the intranasal method. In conclusion, our study showed that the Syrian hamster model is a useful tool for studying the SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis, as well as testing vaccine candidates against acute respiratory syndrome type 2. Введение. В начале декабря 2019 г. человечество столкнулось с новой проблемой, вызванной коронавирусом. В срединной китайской провинции Хубэй стали развиваться эпидемические события, способные вызывать у людей тяжелые первичные вирусные пневмонии. Изолированный этиологический агент был идентифицирован как представитель