The B.1.427/1.429 (epsilon) SARS-CoV-2 variants are more virulent than ancestral B.1 (614G) in Syrian hamsters
Fig 5
Viral loads in hamsters after intranasal inoculation with B.1 (614G), B.1.427 or B.1.429.
A) sg RNA copies in oral swabs collected daily until day 4 or necropsy. Mean values of all groups were compared using a Kruskal-Wallis test, and a post-hoc Dunn multiple comparison test was used to compare the mean values of the B.1.427 (N = 16) or B.1.429 (N = 18) groups individually to the 614G group (N = 16). No significant differences between the groups were found using this approach. In addition, a Mann Whitney test was used to compare the daily mean sgRNA value of the B.1.429 and B.1.427 groups individually to the other 2 groups. Significant differences are noted by a line and numerical p value. B) sgRNA copies in upper respiratory tract (URT) washes collected at necropsy at 2, 4, 6 or days 10 PI. D) sgRNA copies in lungs collected at necropsy at 2, 4, 6 or days 10 PI. D) Infectious virus titers in lungs collected at necropsy at 2, 4, 6 or 10 days PI. The limit of quantitation for the PCR assay (125 copies per reaction) is indicated by the dotted line. Each dot is the sgRNA level or viral titer in a sample from one animal.