In China, a team of virologists has been actively studying the sources of infectious diseases in humans and animals. The team has identified new viruses in nearly 2,500 bats, rodents, and shrews.
Chinese researchers proactively detect viruses with a high risk of spreading to humans. Photo: CNN
According to their research, some of the more than 500 viruses they identified are related to pathogens that cause disease in humans or animals.
According to lead author Zhang Yongzhen, who led a team in Shanghai that shared the first genome sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with the world in early January 2020, the study shows that understanding such viruses is key to providing early warnings of future infectious diseases.
The virologist said newly identified viruses pose a potential risk and tracking their evolution and transmission is crucial to preventing the next pandemic.
“Most viruses do not infect humans, and those that can infect humans do not necessarily cause disease. But some pathogens can cause serious complications,” he said.
“We analyzed multiple viruses that we found in the three animals, rather than focusing on one specific virus or one specific animal,” Zhang said, which is a way to track whether viruses merge to form a hybrid pathogen.
“A full picture of viruses in nature will help us understand their evolution and better equip us to make predictions about when and where an infectious disease will occur in the future,” he said.
Zhang is not the only Chinese virologist sounding the alarm about a future outbreak of a virus similar to SARS-CoV-2. Researcher Shi Zhengli from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, also warned that it is “very likely” that another coronavirus will emerge in the future and the world needs to be prepared.
Her team assessed the risk of human transmission of 40 coronaviruses and rated half of them as “high risk.” The study, published in July, was based on an analysis of the virus’s characteristics, including its population, genetic diversity, host species, and any previous history of animal-to-human transmission.
To better understand the diversity, ecology and evolution of viruses in the animals selected for study, scientists captured thousands of animals at four sites in Hubei Province and Zhejiang Province in central China on the east coast.
Rodents and shrews were captured using baited cages in agricultural and forested areas, while bats were captured in mountain caves.
Samples from the animals' internal organs and feces were analyzed to determine viral sequences. The researchers identified 669 viruses, nearly 80 percent of which had never been sequenced before.
Scientists concluded that cross-species transmission events may have occurred between mammals, with 138 viruses identified in more than two mammalian species.
According to research, shrews carry the most viruses, and they are especially prevalent in a species called the Smith's shrew.
“Shrews are a poorly studied group of mammals. We were surprised to find that one species in Hubei harbored at least 150 viruses, which is a very high risk,” Zhang said. “They mainly feed on insects and other arthropods that carry many viruses. Shrews play a role in transmitting viruses from invertebrates to mammals, adding to the threat to humans.”
The goal is to develop an early warning mechanism for infectious diseases, similar to weather forecasting, Mr. Truong said.
To do that, scientists first need to understand how viruses behave in nature and then, through genetic sequencing and experiments, determine which ones can cause disease in humans.
Researchers will then need to study the ecological and environmental factors that contribute to the spread of viruses between species to assess their risks.“
“If we study the virus in advance, we will be able to identify the pathogen in the shortest time when the disease appears and assess its public health risk to minimize the threat to human health,” said Mr. Truong.
Hoang Nam (according to CNN)
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