There is an urgent need for a suitable animal model of infectious diseases and diseases to better understand the pathogenic mechanism of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and to screen effective prevention and treatment methods.
The Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a study on the establishment of a tree shrew new crown virus infection model, which is a closely related primate. The researchers selected tsupai of different ages to infect SARS-CoV-2, including adult shrews around 1 year old and elderly tsupai aged 5-6 years old. The lung images, viral load, blood routine, biochemistry and histopathology were analyzed on different days after tree shrew inoculation with virus. Research results show that tree shrews can be infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus. X-rays can show images of lung infiltration in most infected shrews. Viral NA was detected in the lung tissues of infected trees on days 3, 5, and 7 after infection, and changes in blood routine and serum biochemical parameters, including aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and urea nitrogen (BUN) levels . It becomes expensive. The histopathological staining of lung tissue in the adult and elderly groups of Tupai showed thickened alveolar septum and interstitial hemorrhage at 3 days after infection. When it comes to peak viral load, there are some differences between tree shrews of two different age groups.
This study shows that the Chinese tree shrew may be a model animal for the study of the pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 and the evaluation of drugs and vaccines. The recent research results were published in Zoologicalesearch (2020, 41: 517-526). Researcher Xu, Dr. X, and Kunming Institute of Zoology, Dr. Yu Dantan, are the co-first authors, and Dr. Zheng Yongtang and Dr. Yao Yonggang are the co-first authors. This work was funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Yunnan Province.