Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (Mar 2021)
Gender associates with both susceptibility to infection and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 in Syrian hamster
- Lunzhi Yuan,
- Huachen Zhu,
- Ming Zhou,
- Jian Ma,
- Rirong Chen,
- Yao Chen,
- Liqiang Chen,
- Kun Wu,
- Minping Cai,
- Junping Hong,
- Lifeng Li,
- Che Liu,
- Huan Yu,
- Yali Zhang,
- Jia Wang,
- Tianying Zhang,
- Shengxiang Ge,
- Jun Zhang,
- Quan Yuan,
- Yixin Chen,
- Qiyi Tang,
- Honglin Chen,
- Tong Cheng,
- Yi Guan,
- Ningshao Xia
Affiliations
- Lunzhi Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Huachen Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong
- Ming Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Jian Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Rirong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong
- Yao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Liqiang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong
- Kun Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Minping Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong
- Junping Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Lifeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong
- Che Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Huan Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong
- Yali Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Jia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong
- Tianying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Shengxiang Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Jun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Quan Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Yixin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Qiyi Tang
- Department of Microbiology, Howard University College of Medicine
- Honglin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong
- Tong Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- Yi Guan
- State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong
- Ningshao Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Life Sciences, School of Public Health, Xiamen University
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-021-00552-0
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 6,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 8
Abstract
Abstract Epidemiological studies of the COVID-19 patients have suggested the male bias in outcomes of lung illness. To experimentally demonstrate the epidemiological results, we performed animal studies to infect male and female Syrian hamsters with SARS-CoV-2. Remarkably, high viral titer in nasal washings was detectable in male hamsters who presented symptoms of weight loss, weakness, piloerection, hunched back and abdominal respiration, as well as severe pneumonia, pulmonary edema, consolidation, and fibrosis. In contrast with the males, the female hamsters showed much lower shedding viral titers, moderate symptoms, and relatively mild lung pathogenesis. The obvious differences in the susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 and severity of lung pathogenesis between male and female hamsters provided experimental evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection and the severity of COVID-19 are associated with gender.