Study Indicates Covid Likely Originated from Huanan Market Wildlife

A new study suggests that Covid-19 likely originated from wildlife at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China. This research supports previous theories regarding the pandemic's zoonotic origins, emphasizing the need for further investigation into how the virus jumped from animals to humans. Understanding these origins is crucial for developing strategies to prevent future pandemics and improve public health responses globally.

Genetic analyses of the virus in the initial Covid-19 cases showed that very few, if any, individuals were infected before the outbreak at the market.

The origin of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, responsible for the global Covid-19 pandemic since January 2020, has sparked significant debate. Initially centered around the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China, an alternative theory emerged suggesting the virus may have leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where staff studied bat coronaviruses. However, a recent international study asserts "beyond reasonable doubt" that the virus most likely originated from wild animals sold at the Huanan market rather than from a laboratory escape.

The researchers re-analyzed data from 800 samples collected at the market by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention starting January 1, 2020, along with viral genomes from the earliest Covid-19 cases. This data, made available by the Chinese government in 2022, enabled an in-depth examination of the market-origin hypothesis, with results published in the journal Cell.

Ed Holmes, a team member from the University of Sydney, explained that Chinese investigators swabbed various surfaces and areas within the market to detect Sars-CoV-2. Their analysis identified a shortlist of wild animals sold at the market that could potentially be the source of the pandemic virus. While bats are believed to be the original carriers of Sars-CoV-2, the study suggests that an intermediate species may have contracted the virus and brought it to the market, leading to the outbreak among humans.

Among the wildlife sold at the Huanan market, researchers identified common raccoon dogs, masked palm civets, and hoary bamboo rats as potential intermediate hosts, with traces of these animals found in stalls where Sars-CoV-2 was detected. Holmes stated, “This suggests – but does not prove – that the animals were infected. Hence, it is very likely that Sars-CoV-2 emerged in a live animal market. All the scientific data point one way — to Sars-CoV-2’s natural zoonotic origin in the Huanan market, Wuhan.”

The genetic studies of the earliest Covid-19 cases indicated that few, if any, individuals were infected before the market outbreak. However, the team acknowledged the possibility that the virus could have been introduced to the market by an infected person handling animals. Zach Hensel, another team member from NOVA University Lisbon, emphasized the need to address the risks posed by the human-wildlife interface in markets like Huanan.

He noted, “Even though humans were everywhere in Huanan market and live mammals were concentrated in a small number of stalls, human viruses, other than Sars2, were rare, and several animal viruses were quite abundant.” He pointed out that a simple personal protective equipment protocol, recommended for such environments before the Covid-19 outbreak, could have potentially prevented the pandemic.

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Source: gulftimes‍