Scientists warn of the threat of transmission of the animal corona virus to humans.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SERAWAK – Researchers detected a new variant of the canine corona virus found in a sample swab human patient. The results were obtained from a Malaysian child who was diagnosed with pneumonia in 2018.
However, the study, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, was unable to prove whether the canine coronavirus causes pneumonia in children. Or, whether the cause is another microbe.
The child is also known to be infected with rhinovirus. Even if the canine virus did cause illness three years ago, it is unclear whether this coronavirus could spread among humans.
Genetically, the virus is similar to other types of dog coronaviruses. Study author Gregory Gray said it was unclear whether the virus could be transmitted efficiently from dogs to humans or between humans.
Although it is not clear, the professor of medicine, global health and environmental health at Duke University warned of the threat of transmission of the virus animal corona to humans. There could be risks in the midst of a pandemic.
The origin of SARS-COV-2 transmission remains unclear. However, one leading theory is that the virus spreads from bats to intermediate animals, then to people.
“The coronavirus is likely to be much more contagious to humans. This is still sketchy because most hospital diagnostic tests only take known human coronaviruses,” Gray said.
In the latest discovery, researchers initially developed a diagnostic test that could detect a wide variety of coronaviruses, not just SARS-COV-2. To evaluate the test, they analyzed 301 samples.
All samples were collected in 2017 and 2018 from hospitalized patients with pneumonia in Sarawak, Malaysia. Of the 301 samples, there were eight positive samples of the new corona virus.
The findings were so shocking that the researchers initially thought they had made a mistake. The reason is, the animal corona virus is considered unable to be transmitted to humans and there have been no previous reports.
Another study author, Anastasia Vlasova, said her team again tested the eight samples using different methods. They are trying to grow the virus in dog cells.
One of the samples grew in dog cells, and the researchers were able to isolate the virus and its genome sequence. They confirmed that the virus, which they have dubbed CCOV-HUPN-2018, is animal corona virus new.
Viruses also contain segments of genetic material from the coronavirus found in cats and pigs. This phenomenon known as recombination is commonly seen in the canine corona virus.
Interestingly, the new corona virus has mutations that have not been seen in any previously existing canine coronavirus. However, similar mutations have been seen in SARS-COV-2 and SARS-COV-1.
This mutation occurs in one of the viral structural proteins known as the N protein. The implications of this mutation are unclear, but it may help animal coronaviruses adapt by infecting humans.
The researchers plan to do more studies to see how common this type of coronavirus is in humans. Also, whether the virus can be found in healthy and sick people, quoted from the page Livescience, Sunday (23/5).
– .
