Surface‒Aerosol Stability and Pathogenicity of Diverse Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Strains, 2012‒2018.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infects humans and dromedary camels and is responsible for an ongoing outbreak of severe respiratory illness in humans in the Middle East. Although some mutations found in camel-derived MERS-CoV strains have been characterized, most natural variation found across MERS-CoV isolates remains unstudied. We report on the environmental stability, replication kinetics, and pathogenicity of several diverse isolates of MERS-CoV, as well as isolates of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, to serve as a basis of comparison with other stability studies. Although most MERS-CoV isolates had similar stability and pathogenicity in our experiments, the camel-derived isolate C/KSA/13 had reduced surface stability, and another camel isolate, C/BF/15, had reduced pathogenicity in a small animal model. These results suggest that although betacoronaviruses might have similar environmental stability profiles, individual variation can influence this phenotype, underscoring the need for continual global viral surveillance.

Intranasal ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/AZD1222 vaccination reduces shedding of SARS-CoV-2 D614G in rhesus macaques.

Intramuscular vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/AZD1222 protected rhesus macaques against pneumonia but did not reduce shedding of SARS-CoV-2. Here we investigate whether intranasally administered ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 reduces shedding, using a SARS-CoV-2 virus with the D614G mutation in the spike protein. Viral load in swabs obtained from intranasally vaccinated hamsters was significantly decreased compared to controls and no viral RNA or infectious virus was found in lung tissue, both in a direct challenge and a transmission model. Intranasal vaccination of rhesus macaques resulted in reduced shedding and a reduction in viral load in bronchoalveolar lavage and lower respiratory tract tissue. In conclusion, intranasal vaccination reduced shedding in two different SARS-CoV-2 animal models, justifying further investigation as a potential vaccination route for COVID-19 vaccines.

Intranasal ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/AZD1222 vaccination reduces viral shedding after SARS-CoV-2 D614G challenge in preclinical models.

ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/AZD1222 is an approved adenovirus-based vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) currently being deployed globally. Previous studies in rhesus macaques revealed that intramuscular vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/AZD1222 provided protection against pneumonia but did not reduce shedding of SARS-CoV-2 from the upper respiratory tract. Here, we investigated whether intranasally administered ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 reduces detection of virus in nasal swabs after challenging vaccinated macaques and hamsters with SARS-CoV-2 carrying a D614G mutation in the spike protein. Viral loads in swabs obtained from intranasally vaccinated hamsters were decreased compared to control hamsters, and no viral RNA or infectious virus was found in lung tissue after a direct challenge or after direct contact with infected hamsters. Intranasal vaccination of rhesus macaques resulted in reduced virus concentrations in nasal swabs and a reduction in viral loads in bronchoalveolar lavage and lower respiratory tract tissue. Intranasal vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/AZD1222 reduced virus concentrations in nasal swabs in two different SARS-CoV-2 animal models, warranting further investigation as a potential vaccination route for COVID-19 vaccines.

Viral gut metagenomics of sympatric wild and domestic canids, and monitoring of viruses: Insights from an endangered wolf population.

Animal host-microbe interactions are a relevant concern for wildlife conservation, particularly regarding generalist pathogens, where domestic host species can play a role in the transmission of infectious agents, such as viruses, to wild animals. Knowledge on viral circulation in wild host species is still scarce and can be improved by the recent advent of modern molecular approaches. We aimed to characterize the fecal virome and identify viruses of potential conservation relevance of diarrheic free-ranging wolves and sympatric domestic dogs from Central Portugal, where a small and threatened wolf population persists in a highly anthropogenically modified landscape. Using viral metagenomics, we screened diarrheic stools collected from wolves (n = 8), feral dogs (n = 4), and pet dogs (n = 6), all collected within wolf range. We detected novel highly divergent viruses as well as known viral pathogens with established effects on population dynamics, including canine distemper virus, a novel bocavirus, and canine minute virus. Furthermore, we performed a 4-year survey for the six wolf packs comprising this endangered wolf population, screening 93 fecal samples from 36 genetically identified wolves for canine distemper virus and the novel bocavirus, previously identified using our metagenomics approach. Our novel approach using metagenomics for viral screening in noninvasive samples of wolves and dogs has profound implications on the knowledge of both virology and wildlife diseases, establishing a complementary tool to traditional screening methods for the conservation of threatened species.

Complete genome analyses of the first porcine rotavirus group H identified from a South African pig does not provide evidence for recent interspecies transmission events.

Rotaviruses (RVs) are classified into eight species/groups (RVA-RVH) according to the migration patterns of their 11 genome segments, as well as by serological and molecular properties of Viral Protein 6 (VP6). In 1997 a new unclassified RV was reported infecting adults in Bangladesh and China. This virus was initially named novel adult diarrhoea rotavirus (ADRV-N), but later renamed as RVH. Since then, RVH has been detected in humans only very sporadically. However, RVH is increasingly being detected in pig populations in the USA, Brazil and Japan, but not yet in Africa. Unfortunately, whole genome sequence data of porcine RVH strains in GenBank is currently restricted to a single strain (SKA-1) from Japan. Porcine diarrhoeic samples were collected in South Africa and analysed for rotavirus using an RVA ELISA and electropherotyping by PAGE. One sample displayed a 4:2:1:1:1:1:1 migration pattern, typical for RVH. In order to further investigate this strain, sequence-independent amplification followed by random sequencing using the 454/Roche GS FLX Sequencer was performed, resulting in the second complete porcine RVH strain (MRC-DPRU1575) available in databases. Phylogenetically, all segments of MRC-DPRU1575 clustered closely with the SKA-1 strain and in some segments with known porcine RVH strains from Brazil and the USA. In contrast, the porcine RVH strains were only distantly related to human RVH strains from Asia and a partial RVH-like strain recently detected in bats from Cameroon. Overall, strain MRC-DPRU1575 is the first complete genome of a porcine RVH from Africa and allows for the development of improved RVH screening methods. Our analyses indicate that RVH strains cluster according to their host species, not suggesting any evidence of recent interspecies transmission events. However, more RVH genomes from a wider host range are needed to better understand their evolutionary pathways and zoonotic potential.