Genetic makeup of coronavirus in pangolins was 90% identical to human strain
As infectious disease experts continue to investigate the origins of the Covid pandemic, new research suggests that pangolins may have played a crucial role in transmitting the virus from its original animal host to humans. A report published in the journal Nature, led by virus expert Ralph Baric of the University of North Carolina, found that the strain of coronavirus harbored in pangolins was nearly identical to the one that has affected humans.
This discovery has led to the theory that the first cases of coronavirus likely jumped from pangolins to immunocompromised individuals, providing the virus with an opportunity to mutate and replicate until it reached its full pandemic potential.
Pangolins have long been suspected as a possible intermediary host for the virus, although there is another camp of scientists who believe that the pandemic originated from a leak at the Chinese Wuhan Institute of Virology. This theory is supported by some US intelligence agencies, although China has denied these claims.
Scientists have been studying the origins of Covid-19 since the early days of the pandemic, using genome sequencing to trace the genetic lineage of the virus. The researchers found that the coronavirus in pangolins shared over 90% of the same genetic qualities as the strain that infects humans. This suggests that pangolins may have passed on a mutated version of the virus to humans.
The research team from various universities, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt University, Duke University, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Tokyo, highlighted that multiple coronaviruses have emerged from animals in the 21st century. They stated that the virus most probably originated from strains that circulated in bats or other mammals.
Further testing revealed that the strain in pangolins was highly adaptable to infect humans, binding to more receptors and showing airborne transmission. The researchers concluded that individual pangolins or other rare wildlife species may have served as a nearly untraceable pass-through species that transmitted the virus to humans.
Amidst the ongoing investigation, China has escalated protection efforts for pangolins, which are the world’s most trafficked mammal. Pangolins are rare and elusive, making it difficult for scientists to study them in the wild. However, their meat is considered a delicacy, leading to their high demand in Asia.
Previous investigations into the origin of the virus have produced mixed results. While some studies have pointed to pangolins as intermediate hosts, others have found no evidence supporting this claim. Additionally, there is a separate theory suggesting that the virus originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Although speculative, the findings of the latest research support the hypothesis that the virus mutated in pangolins before becoming infectious among humans. The study was published in the journal Nature Microbiology.