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Coronavirus may have originated from snakes – Report
While health officials and scientists continue to look for answers on the Wuhan coronavirus, one controversial theory is emerging that may explain where the virus originated from snakes.
A new study by researchers in the Journal of Medical Virology says that the Chinese cobra and the Chinese Krait could be the source that transmitted the virus to humans.
The study analyzed the genetic sequence of the new virus and compared it with the genetic code of over 200 other coronaviruses from around the world that infect various animals.
But some experts are sceptical of the study, criticizing it by saying it’s unclear if coronaviruses can actually infect snakes.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coronaviruses are diseases that can cause illnesses in humans and in animals. On a rare occurrence, coronaviruses in animals can evolve to infect humans and spread to other people. This appears to be the case with the Wuhan virus.
In the study, researchers found that the virus seems to be a combination or mix of two coronaviruses, one that’s been known to infect bats and another of unknown origin.
Researchers then analyzed the genetic sequence of the Wuhan virus to look for patterns in the genetic code that could indicate what animal it came from. After considering a variety of animals including hedgehogs, birds, snakes and humans among others. Based on their findings, they believe that the virus may have originated from snakes.
If the virus did originate from snakes it’s believed that humans were exposed to the animal at a wet market where snakes were sold alongside other livestock.
The authors of the study write that their findings suggest that for the first time that the snake is the most probable wildlife animal reservoir for the 2019-nCoV.
But other researchers are questioning the study.
Paulo Eduardo Brando, a virologist at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, told Nature News, they have no evidence that snakes can be infected by this new coronavirus and serve as a host for it.
He also added that there’s no solid evidence that coronaviruses can infect hosts other than mammals and birds as snakes are reptiles. Brando’s research currently explores whether coronaviruses can infect snakes.
The authors of the study agree that more research will be needed to confirm the findings of their paper.
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