The analysis confirms the presence of animal DNA in the positive tests

Posted on 4/5/2023 10:18 PM

(credit: Pixabay)

Three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese researchers are trying to understand for sure what might have caused the coronavirus to spread. A genetic analysis confirmed that there was DNA from a wild animal that tested positive for the disease, which could indicate a line to the origin of the virus.

in the text Published in scientific journals nature This Wednesday (5/4)Chinese researchers determined that the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China — so linked to the pandemic — had genetic material from wild animals and tested positive for the virus.

This confirmation indicates the possibility that a wild animal could be the intermediate host for a virus spreading to infect humans. However, they say the findings do not provide conclusive evidence that SARS-CoV-2 originated in an animal-to-human spread event.

Data analysis, though not conclusive, will help specialists understand the origin of the epidemic.

According to evolutionary virologist Jesse Blum, while the tests – collected in January 2020 – provide useful information about the animals in the market, old samples must be analyzed to find the origin of the epidemic. He notes that “if we ever discover the exact origins of SARS-CoV-2, I believe it will come from new information about cases or events in early December or November 2019, or earlier.”

The market in Wuhan has been closely associated with the emergence of the Covid virus because the first confirmed cases of the disease were linked to the market – a point of sale for animals known to host respiratory viruses called sarcoid viruses – which include SARS-CoV-2.

However, experts do not exclude the possibility of a possible laboratory leak, which gained strength in 2021, and could be one of the origins of the virus.

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