Golden Syrian Hamsters as a Model for Revisiting the Role of Biological Sex Differences in SARS-CoV-2 Infection

There is growing evidence that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects males more severely than females, including compelling evidence indicating that biological sex is an important clinical factor influencing disease pathology and outcomes. In their recent article in , S. Dhakal, C. A. Ruiz-Bed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:mBio 2021-12, Vol.12 (6), p.e0184821-e0184821
Main Authors: Michita, Rafael Tomoya, Mysorekar, Indira U
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antibodies, Viral - blood
Commentary
COVID-19
COVID-19 - immunology
COVID-19 - physiopathology
Cricetinae
Disease Models, Animal
Female
Lung - pathology
lung infection
Male
Mesocricetus
Microbial Pathogenesis
SARS-CoV-2
SARS-CoV-2 - immunology
SARS-CoV-2 - pathogenicity
sex difference
Sex Factors
Syrian hamster
viral infections
Viral Load
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Summary:There is growing evidence that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects males more severely than females, including compelling evidence indicating that biological sex is an important clinical factor influencing disease pathology and outcomes. In their recent article in , S. Dhakal, C. A. Ruiz-Bedoya, R. Zhou, P. S. Creisher, et al. (mBio 12:e00974-21, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00974-21) find further evidence to support this hypothesis as they interrogate biological sex differences in the pathogenesis and clinical features of COVID-19 in the golden Syrian hamster model. Their study probes SARS-CoV-2 infection in terms of loss of body mass, recovery, lung compromise, viral replication, inflammatory response, immune response, and, most importantly, the role of estrogen. They also demonstrate the value of a novel unbiased, quantitative chest computed tomography (CT) imaging approach. The golden Syrian hamster model holds a promising opportunity to further investigate how biological sex acts as a primary determinant in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis, as also demonstrated in this study.
ISSN:2150-7511
2150-7511
DOI:10.1128/mBio.01848-21