Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 via Close Contact and Respiratory Droplets Among Human Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Mice

J Infect Dis. 2020 Jul 23;222(4):551-555. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa281.

Abstract

We simulated 3 transmission modes, including close-contact, respiratory droplets and aerosol routes, in the laboratory. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be highly transmitted among naive human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) mice via close contact because 7 of 13 naive hACE2 mice were SARS-CoV-2 antibody seropositive 14 days after being introduced into the same cage with 3 infected-hACE2 mice. For respiratory droplets, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from 3 of 10 naive hACE2 mice showed seropositivity 14 days after introduction into the same cage with 3 infected-hACE2 mice, separated by grids. In addition, hACE2 mice cannot be experimentally infected via aerosol inoculation until continued up to 25 minutes with high viral concentrations.

Keywords: SARS-COV-2; aerosol; close contact; hACE2 transgenic mice; respiratory droplets; transmission routes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aerosols
  • Anal Canal / virology
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Betacoronavirus* / genetics
  • Betacoronavirus* / immunology
  • Betacoronavirus* / isolation & purification
  • COVID-19
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Coronavirus Infections / transmission*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Lung / pathology
  • Lung / virology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Pandemics
  • Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / genetics
  • Pharynx / virology
  • Pneumonia, Viral / transmission*
  • RNA, Viral / isolation & purification
  • Respiratory System / virology
  • Risk
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
  • Time Factors
  • Vero Cells
  • Viral Load
  • Weight Loss

Substances

  • Aerosols
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • RNA, Viral
  • Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A
  • ACE2 protein, human
  • Ace2 protein, mouse
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2