The first peer-reviewed analysis of the Chinese swabs collected from the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan confirms the presence of animal DNA in the samples that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
The study analyzed 60 positive samples and 112 negative swabs and found that many wild-animal species were present in the market, including raccoon dogs that have the potential to transmit the virus.
The study supports the natural-origin hypothesis and suggests that the market may have acted as an amplifier of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
However, there are concerns about the quality of the analysis, and further forensic analyses could reveal whether any animal DNA in the swabs bears signs of immune-system activation, indicating active infection.
The data do not clearly identify a specific animal as an intermediate host, but the results highlight the need to study animals, including raccoon dogs, to understand how well they transmit the virus.
Vocabularies:
- peer-reviewed: having been read and checked by another scientist or expert working in the same subject area
- swab: a small piece of soft material used for cleaning a cut or for taking a small amount of substance from a body, or the substance itself that can then be tested
- presence: the fact that someone or something is in a place
- species: a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other and can breed with each other
- concern: to cause worry to someone
- further: to a greater distance or degree, or at a more advanced level
- immune-system: the cells and tissues in the body that make it able to protect itself against infection
No comments:
Post a Comment