SARS-CoV-2 viral dynamics in non-human primates

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008785
• Publication Date: 2021-03-17T17:55:45Z
• Authors: Antonio Gonçalves; Pauline Maisonnasse; Flora Donati; Mélanie Albert; Sylvie Behillil; Vanessa Contreras; Thibaut Naninck; Romain Marlin; Caroline Solas; Andres Pizzorno; Julien Lemaitre; Nidhal Kahlaoui; Olivier Terrier; Raphael Ho Tsong ...; Vincent Enouf; Nathalie Dereuddr...; Angela Brisebarre; Franck Touret; Catherine Chapon; Bruno Hoen; Bruno Lina; Manuel Rosa Calat...; Xavier de Lamball...; France Mentré; Roger Le Grand; Sylvie van der Werf; Jérémie Guedj
• Keywords: MESH: Antiviral Agents; QH301-705.5; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; Basic Reproduction Number; 610; Virus Replication; Antiviral Agents; 03 medical and health sciences; Nasopharynx; 616; MESH: COVID-19; Animals; MESH: Animals; MESH: SARS-CoV-2; Biology (General); [SDV.MP.VIR] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Virology; MESH: Cytokines; 0303 health sciences; Animal; SARS-CoV-2; MESH: Virus Replication; COVID-19; Viral Load; MESH: Nasopharynx; 3. Good health; [SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio]; Trachea; Disease Models, Animal; Macaca fascicularis; MESH: Basic Reproduction Number; MESH: Macaca fascicularis; [SDV.MP.VIR]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Virology; Cytokines; MESH: Disease Models; MESH: Disease Models, Animal; MESH: Viral Load; MESH: Trachea; Research Article

Non-human primates infected with SARS-CoV-2 exhibit mild clinical signs. Here we used a mathematical model to characterize in detail the viral dynamics in 31 cynomolgus macaques for which nasopharyngeal and tracheal viral load were frequently assessed. We identified that infected cells had a large burst size (>104 virus) and a within-host reproductive basic number of approximately 6 and 4 in nasopharyngeal and tracheal compartment, respectively. After peak viral load, infected cells were rapidly lost with a half-life of 9 hours, with no significant association between cytokine elevation and clearance, leading to a median time to viral clearance of 10 days, consistent with observations in mild human infections. Given these parameter estimates, we predict that a prophylactic treatment blocking 90% of viral production or viral infection could prevent viral growth. In conclusion, our results provide estimates of SARS-CoV-2 viral kinetic parameters in an experimental model of mild infection and they provide means to assess the efficacy of future antiviral treatments.