Friday, March 17, 2023

Raccoon dogs might have been ground zero for COVID-19

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Raccoon dogs are at the center of the latest theory on the origins of COVID-19
By Alice Park
Senior Health Correspondent

An international group of researchers has uncovered new genetic information that links raccoon dogs sold at a Wuhan market to the COVID-19 virus. It’s not the smoking gun that confirms that animals first spread the virus to humans, but it’s another clue that might resolve the ongoing debate over whether COVID-19 started in animals or in a lab.

Here’s what the latest information reveals:

  • Genetic analysis from a sample swabbed from a cart at the Wuhan market in 2020 contained genetic material from both raccoon dogs and SARS-CoV-2. That doesn’t mean the raccoon dogs were infected with the virus, but does strongly suggest that the virus and animals co-existed, making it possible that COVID-19 spread from animals to humans.
  • The genetic sequences, which were posted on a public database, have since been removed.
  • The World Health Organization has asked Chinese officials to make the genetic sequences available again, so scientists can study them further to better understand where the virus originated.

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Today's newsletter was written by Alice Park and Jamie Ducharme, and edited by Elijah Wolfson.

 
 
 
 
 
 

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