The heterozygous mouse K18-hACE2 (strain: 2B6.Cg-Tg(K18-ACE2)2Prlmn/J) is a transgenic line that expresses human ACE2 (hACE2). When infected with SARS-CoV-2, this strain was shown to:

• support SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication
• undergo severe pulmonary disease
• lose weight
• have increased concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the lungs
• experience histopathological changes in lung tissue that correlate with disease severity

Many of these observations mirror what is seen in severe SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans.