2024-09-05 12:38:24
The breeding of fur animals is generally controversial. However, researchers are now warning that it could also become a global health risk.
Researchers believe that fur farms have considerable potential to become breeding grounds for pathogens that could potentially spread to humans. According to a study published in the journal Nature, 125 virus species were discovered during an examination of animals from fur farms in China. These included 36 new species and 39 virus strains that have a potentially “high risk” of cross-species transmission.
For the study, the research team led by Chinese scientists analyzed genetic material from lung and intestinal samples of 461 animals such as minks, rabbits, foxes and raccoon dogs that died of diseases in China between 2021 and 2024. Most of the animals came from fur farms, but some were also kept for meat or traditional medicine, while about 50 were wild animals.
Some of the viruses discovered – such as hepatitis E and Japanese encephalitis – were already known to be able to spread to humans. However, of the 39 virus species discovered in the study with a potentially “high risk” of cross-species transmission, 13 are new, the study says.
Several types of bird flu have also been detected in guinea pigs, minks and muskrats. Seven types of coronaviruses have also been discovered. However, none of these viruses were closely related to SARS-CoV-2, which first appeared in China in late 2019 and triggered the global coronavirus pandemic.
Virologist Edward Holmes of the University of Sydney, who has conducted research on Covid-19 in the past, is nevertheless concerned about the results of the study: The global fur industry is “one of the most likely possibilities for the outbreak of a new pandemic,” he said. He is therefore personally of the opinion that this industry should be closed down.
Holmes is most concerned about the pipistrelle bat coronavirus HKU5, which was discovered in two farmed mink during testing and is related to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, which can be fatal to humans. “The fact that we now see that it has jumped from bats to farmed mink should set off alarm bells,” said Holmes. “This virus needs to be monitored,” he said.
Thousands of unknown virus species are believed to be circulating among wild mammals. Scientists fear that fur farms could lead to farm animals becoming infected with such viruses, which in turn could expose humans to them.