The model has also demonstrated high transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 among close contact animals. Moreover, the pathology of this disease in hamsters resembles humans. Studies have shown that the Syrian hamster infected by SARS-CoV-2 manifest various clinical signs of COVID-19 in human patients ( Chan et al., 2020a Chan et al., 2020b Sia et al., 2020). Syrian golden hamsters ( Mesocricetus auratus) being a permissive host to multiple other viruses and a recognized model for respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection has drawn immediate attention for COVID-19 related studies ( Roberts et al., 2005). Simultaneously, exploring multiple species susceptible to this virus might also help to identify the natural reservoir and potential carriers of this pathogen. However, using different animal models will help to address questions in a more reliable and clinically relevant manner. No single species of animal might be able to recapitulate all the SARS-CoV-2 infection-related events in humans exactly. In this regard, the role of clinically relevant experimental animal models is crucial. Therefore, there is an urgent need to study this viral disease transmission, pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment. It has now succumbed to around 44 million people worldwide, and almost 1.17 million people have lost their lives due to this pandemic (till October 28, 2020). The current outbreak of COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. We believe that this study’s findings have provided evidence that demands further investigation to understand the predominant respiratory pathology of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease. Together, our findings corroborate some of the earlier reports related to ACE2 expression patterns in human tissues and contradict others. Analysis of tissues from different age groups and sex didn’t show any obvious difference in ACE2 expression pattern or level. Similarly, all parts of the large intestine were negative for ACE2 expression. Surprisingly, analysis of stained tissue sections showed no detectable expression of ACE2 in the lung or tracheal epithelial cells. Epithelium of proximal tubules of kidney and surface epithelium of ileum expresses a very high amount of this protein. Both the antibodies detected expression of ACE2 in kidney, small intestine, tongue, and liver. Further, at the mRNA level, the expression of Ace2 in tissues was evaluated through RT-qPCR analysis. Using two different antibodies (MA5-32307 and AF933), we have conducted immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence analysis to evaluate the ACE2 expression in different tissues of the hamster. The major objective of our current study was to analyze the tissue-specific expression pattern of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, a proven functional receptor for SARS-CoV-2 in different organs of the hamster. However, lack of knowledge about the tissue-specific expression pattern of various proteins in these animals and the unavailability of reagents like antibodies against this species hampers these models’ optimal use. The Syrian golden hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus) has recently been demonstrated as a clinically relevant animal model for SARS-CoV-2 infection. 3Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India.2Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India.1Tumor Microenvironment and Animal Models Lab, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India.Voddu Suresh 1,2, Deepti Parida 1,2, Aliva P.

Hamster maze vs human trap