A 3‐month‐old neonatal rhesus macaque HFMD model caused by coxsackievirus B1 infection and viral tissue tropism

Abstract Coxsackievirus B1 (CVB1), an enterovirus with multiple clinical presentations, has been associated with potential long‐term consequences, including hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), in some patients. However, the related animal models, transmission dynamics, and long‐term tissue tropism of CVB1 have not been systematically characterized. In this study, we established a model of CVB1 respiratory infection in rhesus macaques and evaluated the clinical symptoms, viral load, and immune levels during the acute phase (0–14 days) and long‐term recovery phase (15–30 days). We also investigated the distribution, viral clearance, and pathology during the long‐term recovery period using 35 postmortem rhesus macaque tissue samples collected at 30 days postinfection (d.p.i.). The results showed that the infected rhesus macaques were susceptible to CVB1 and exhibited HFMD symptoms, viral clearance, altered cytokine levels, and the presence of neutralizing antibodies. Autopsy revealed positive viral loads in the heart, spleen, pancreas, soft palate, and olfactory bulb tissues. HE staining demonstrated pathological damage to the liver, spleen, lung, soft palate, and tracheal epithelium. At 30 d.p.i., viral antigens were detected in visceral, immune, respiratory, and muscle tissues but not in intestinal or neural tissues. Brain tissue examination revealed viral meningitis‐like changes, and CVB1 antigen expression was detected in occipital, pontine, cerebellar, and spinal cord tissues at 30 d.p.i. This study provides the first insights into CVB1 pathogenesis in a nonhuman primate model of HFMD and confirms that CVB1 exhibits tissue tropism following long‐term infection.