Infection, pathology and interferon treatment of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 variant in juvenile, adult and aged Syrian hamsters

Abstract

The new predominant circulating SARS-CoV-2 variant, Omicron, can robustly escape current vaccines and neutralizing antibodies. Although Omicron has been reported to have milder replication and disease manifestations than some earlier variants, its pathogenicity in different age groups has not been well elucidated. Here, we report that the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 sublineage causes elevated infection and lung pathogenesis in juvenile and aged hamsters, with more body weight loss, respiratory tract viral burden, and lung injury in these hamsters than in adult hamsters. Juvenile hamsters show a reduced interferon response against Omicron BA.1 infection, whereas aged hamsters show excessive proinflammatory cytokine expression, delayed viral clearance, and aggravated lung injury. Early inhaled IFN-α2b treatment suppresses Omicron BA.1 infection and lung pathogenesis in juvenile and adult hamsters. Overall, the data suggest that the diverse patterns of the innate immune response affect the disease outcomes of Omicron BA.1 infection in different age groups.