Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants expand species tropism to murines

Early circulating SARS-CoV-2 does not infect to laboratory conventional mice and rats, because its spike protein cannot recognize murine ACE2 receptor. Several emerging variants contain mutations in spike protein that has been suggested to recognize murine ACE2 receptor. Here, it was shown that the B.1.1.7 variant infects to wild type mouse and rat, revealed by viral replication capacity and inducing pneumonia phenotype.