A novel hACE2 mouse model recapitulates features of pulmonary SARS-CoV-2 infection

The cutting-edge evidence indicates that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection associates with gut dysbiosis in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and thus may contribute to severe disease. Mechanistic links underlying the pathogenic effects of gut dysbiosis are needed to be elucidated. In this study, we reported a novel mouse model that can recapitulate some hallmark features of pulmonary and intestinal SARS-CoV-2 infection by applying histopathological analysis, plasma cytokine assay and RNA-seq analysis. Meanwhile, we observed the changes of gut microbiome in this mouse model when challenged with SARS-CoV-2. Generally, the hACE2 mice assessed in this study will be a promising model that can lay foundation for more in-depth studies in investigating the complex crosstalk between the gut microbiome and pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2.