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Dwivedi V, Shivanna V, Gautam S, Delgado J, Hicks A, Argonza M, Meredith R, Turner J, Martinez-Sobrido L, Torrelles JB, Kulkarni V. Age associated susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in the K18-hACE2 transgenic mouse model. GeroScience 2024; 46:2901-2913. [PMID: 38388916 PMCID: PMC11009211 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-024-01102-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still an ongoing global health crisis. Clinical data indicate that the case fatality rate (CFR) is age dependent, with a higher CFR percentage in the elderly population. We compared the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 in young and aged K18-hACE2 transgenic mice. We evaluated morbidity, mortality, viral titers, immune responses, and histopathology in SARS-CoV-2-infected young and old K18-hACE2 transgenic mice. Within the limitation of having a low number of mice per group, our results indicate that SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in slightly higher morbidity, mortality, and viral replication in the lungs of old mice, which was associated with an impaired IgM response and altered cytokine and chemokine profiles. Results of this study increase our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and immuno-pathogenesis in the elderly population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun Dwivedi
- Disease Intervention & Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Vinay Shivanna
- Population Health Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Shalini Gautam
- Population Health Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Jennifer Delgado
- Disease Intervention & Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Amberlee Hicks
- Disease Intervention & Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Marco Argonza
- Disease Intervention & Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Reagan Meredith
- Disease Intervention & Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA
| | - Joanne Turner
- Host Pathogen Interactions Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA.
| | - Luis Martinez-Sobrido
- Disease Intervention & Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA.
| | - Jordi B Torrelles
- Population Health Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA.
- International Center for the Advancement of Research & Education (I•CARE), Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA.
| | - Viraj Kulkarni
- Disease Intervention & Prevention Program, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, 78227, USA.
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