The team of researchers, led by Chinese, detected 125 viruses in total, including 36 never discovered before! 
Anthony Kaczmarek 11/09/2024 12:00 4 min
The virologue Edward Holmesformerly responsible for research on Covid-19, conducted a study with several scientists, a team led by Chinese, on the potential danger of viruses present in fur farms in Chinewhere the first cases of Covid-19 appeared at the end of 2019. The results they obtained are particularly worrying!
125 viruses, including 13 new ones posing a “high risk” to humans
These researchers have sequenced genetic material from lung and intestinal samples from 461 fur-bearing animals (mink, rabbits, foxes, raccoon dogs) died of diseases in China between 2021 and 2024. All came from fur farms, but some had been raised for food or traditional medicine. About 50 were wild animals.
Potential virus transmission between farmed animals and wild animals, and from humans to farmed animals, indicating that fur farming represents an important transmission hub for viral zoonoses @Nature pic.twitter.com/gXzlUedm3D
— Waggoner Lab (@LabWaggoner) September 4, 2024
Their results, published on September 4 in the journal Natureshow the discovery of dozens of viruses, some new and with a high potential for transmission to humans : in total, the researchers detected 125 viruses, including 36 never discovered before. 39 of these viruses, including 13 completely new ones, present a “high risk” of passing from one species to another, as well as to humans..
Among the series of very worrying viruses identified, we find several types of bird flu in guinea pigs, minks and muskrats, but also 7 types de coronavirus (none related to Covid-19 however).
Alarm signal for a virus under surveillance
One particular coronavirus, however, is very worrying: it is the pipistrelle coronavirus HKU5found in the lungs of two farmed minks and previously found in bats. It is a relative virus of the coronavirus responsible for MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), potentially fatal to humans.
Study of fur-farmed animals nets 125 #virusesincluding novel species and those with spillover potential
Finding Pipistrellus bat coronavirus HKU5-like viruses in mink on a farm is worrying, the authors say.https://t.co/kya4Stt2Aq
Photo: / Flickr cc pic.twitter.com/jyiJSmVTBC
— CIDRAP (@CIDRAP) September 5, 2024
Virologist Edward Holmes believes that “This virus must be monitored”the transition from bats to minks representing a “alarm signal”. Since thousands of other unknown viruses are probably circulating among wild mammals, Scientists fear fur farms could spread the disease to livestock.
In the long term, humans could be threatened. Edward Holmes also believes that “The fur trade could easily spawn another viral pandemic”who is convinced that the wild animal trade is the origin of Covid-19. It will therefore be necessary to actively monitor fur farmed animals to avoid a next pandemic…
Viruses posing ‘high risk’ to humans detected in fur farms in China – Geo
Farmed fur animals harbour viruses with zoonotic spillover potential – Nature
