Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 21, 2026

Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2
08:41

Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2

Published on: November 5, 2021

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SARS-CoV-2 Omicron EG.5 and JN.1 induce enhanced pathogenicity in K18-hACE2 mice compared with the early Omicron

Mandy Tsoi Man Ho1,2, Nigeer Te1, Kenrie Pui Yan Hui1,2

  • 1School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

Lab Animal
|March 20, 2026
PubMed

Insights

New Omicron subvariants, JN.1 and EG.5, show increased pathogenicity in a mouse model. This finding enhances the utility of K18-hACE2 mice for studying SARS-CoV-2 Omicron vaccine and antiviral efficacy.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Early SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants exhibited reduced pathogenicity in K18-hACE2 mice.
  • This limitation complicated the assessment of vaccine and antiviral efficacy using this common mouse model.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the pathogenicity of emerging SARS-CoV-2 Omicron JN.1 and EG.5 lineages in K18-hACE2 mice.
  • To determine if these newer subvariants could overcome the reduced pathogenicity challenge in mouse models.

Main Methods:

  • Infection of K18-hACE2 mice with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron JN.1 and EG.5 lineages.
  • Comparison of pathogenicity (e.g., weight loss, viral load, clinical signs) with earlier Omicron subvariants.

Main Results:

  • The Omicron JN.1 and EG.5 lineages demonstrated enhanced pathogenicity in K18-hACE2 mice compared to their predecessors.
  • These findings indicate a potential for increased disease severity in the mouse model with these newer variants.

Conclusions:

  • The Omicron JN.1 and EG.5 lineages exhibit increased pathogenicity in K18-hACE2 mice.
  • These subvariants may be suitable for use in mouse infection models to assess SARS-CoV-2 Omicron vaccine and antiviral efficacy.

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