Pangolin identified as potential link for coronavirus spread

[Kailash Kumar]

Pangolin identified as potential link for coronavirus spread

07/02/2020

Beijing (AFP)

The endangered pangolin may be the link that facilitated the spread of the novel coronavirus across China, Chinese scientists said Friday.

At least 31,000 people have been infected and 630 killed by the virus, which has spread to two dozen countries.

Researchers at the South China Agricultural University have identified the scaly mammal as a "potential intermediate host," the university said in a statement, without providing further details.

The new virus, which emerged at a live animal market in central China's Wuhan city late last year, is believed to have originated in bats, but researchers have suggested there could have been an "intermediate host" in the transmission to humans.

After testing more than 1,000 samples from wild animals, scientists from the university found the genome sequences of viruses found on pangolins to be 99 percent identical to those on coronavirus patients, the official Xinhua news agency reported Friday.

The pangolin is considered the most trafficked animal on the planet and over one million have been snatched from Asian and African forests in the past decade, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

They are destined for markets in China and Vietnam, where their scales are used in traditional medicine -- despite having no medical benefits -- and their meat is bought on the black market.

China in January ordered a temporary ban on the trade in wild animals until the epidemic is under control.

The country has long been accused by conservationists of tolerating a shadowy trade in endangered animals for food or as ingredients in traditional medicines.

The SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus that killed hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong in 2002-03 also has been traced to wild animals, with scientists saying it likely originated in bats, later reaching humans via civets.

https://www.france24.com/en/20200207-pangolin-identified-as-potential-link-for-coronavirus-spread

 

[Vanguard One]

A Chinese university says scientists identified the heavily trafficked pangolin as a possible intermediary host of the new coronavirus while the number of new virus cases declined for a second day.

The coronavirus from China is believed to have originated in bats and transferred to humans through some other animal, health officials say. The pangolin may be that key link, researchers at South China Agricultural University said Friday.

© ROSLAN RAHMAN, AFP via Getty Images In this file photo taken on June 30, 2017, a juvenile Sunda pangolin feeds on termites at the Singapore Zoo.

"This latest discovery will be of great significance for the prevention and control of the origin of the new coronavirus," South China Agricultural University said in a translated statement.

The research team tested more than 1,000 samples from wild animals and a found a 99% match between the genome sequences of viruses found in pangolins and those in human patients, the AFP reported, citing Chinese state media.

James Wood, a veterinary medicine professor at the University of Cambridge, told the French news agency that more data is needed and showing similarity between the genome sequences alone is "not sufficient."

"You can only draw more definitive conclusions if you compare prevalence (of the coronavirus) between different species based on representative samples, which these almost certainly are not," Dirk Pfeiffer, professor of veterinary medicine at Hong Kong’s City University, told Reuters.

Pangolins, the world's only scaly mammal, have long been valued for their meat, viewed as a delicacy in some Asian countries, and scales, used for traditional medicine, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Recent conservation efforts have worked to protect the eight pangolin species found in Asia and Africa and threatened by illegal international trade. More than 100,000 pangolins are poached every year, according to WildAid, a nonprofit that works on illegal animal trade.

News of their possible link to the coronavirus outbreak comes as the World Health Organization cautioned Friday against too much optimism after a decline in new cases over recent days.

"The numbers could go up again … but the last two days were showing a declining trend," said WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

China reported 31,161 cases in mainland China in its update Friday. The rise of 3,143 was the lowest daily increase since at least Tuesday.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University as of Friday, 31,523 people have been infected and 638 killed from the outbreak that first appeared late last year.

The outbreak may have emerged from a market selling seafood and meat in Wuhan. Researchers theorize that someone bought contaminated meat at the market, ate it, got sick and infected others, creating a ripple effect around the world.

However, research in the British medical journal The Lancet suggests the outbreak started earlier than December and casts doubt on the market connection.

While the majority of cases and deaths have been in China, the virus has spread across continents, prompting the WHO to declare a "public health emergency of international concern."

In the United States, 12 people have been infected, per Johns Hopkins. Federal health officials confirmed last week the first U.S. case of person-to-person spread of the virus.

President Donald Trump tweeted Friday he "had a long and very good conversation by phone with President Xi of China" on the country's response to the coronavirus.

"He will be successful, especially as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully becomes weaker, and then gone," Trump tweeted.

Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez; The Associated Press

Coronavirus Health Information Line

Call 1800 020 080 if you are seeking information on novel coronavirus. The line operates Monday–Friday from 8am to 8pm, Saturdays from 8am to 5pm, and Sundays from 9am to 5pm.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/pangolins-may-have-spread-virus/ar-BBZLdou?ocid=msedgntp

 

[Dubious]

Eww who attempted to eat (do whatever to contact the virus) a Pangolin?!

A Chinese university says scientists identified the heavily trafficked pangolin as a possible intermediary host of the new coronavirus while the number of new virus cases declined for a second day.

The coronavirus from China is believed to have originated in bats and transferred to humans through some other animal, health officials say. The pangolin may be that key link, researchers at South China Agricultural University said Friday.

© ROSLAN RAHMAN, AFP via Getty Images In this file photo taken on June 30, 2017, a juvenile Sunda pangolin feeds on termites at the Singapore Zoo.

"This latest discovery will be of great significance for the prevention and control of the origin of the new coronavirus," South China Agricultural University said in a translated statement.

The research team tested more than 1,000 samples from wild animals and a found a 99% match between the genome sequences of viruses found in pangolins and those in human patients, the AFP reported, citing Chinese state media.

James Wood, a veterinary medicine professor at the University of Cambridge, told the French news agency that more data is needed and showing similarity between the genome sequences alone is "not sufficient."

"You can only draw more definitive conclusions if you compare prevalence (of the coronavirus) between different species based on representative samples, which these almost certainly are not," Dirk Pfeiffer, professor of veterinary medicine at Hong Kong’s City University, told Reuters.

Pangolins, the world's only scaly mammal, have long been valued for their meat, viewed as a delicacy in some Asian countries, and scales, used for traditional medicine, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Recent conservation efforts have worked to protect the eight pangolin species found in Asia and Africa and threatened by illegal international trade. More than 100,000 pangolins are poached every year, according to WildAid, a nonprofit that works on illegal animal trade.

News of their possible link to the coronavirus outbreak comes as the World Health Organization cautioned Friday against too much optimism after a decline in new cases over recent days.

"The numbers could go up again … but the last two days were showing a declining trend," said WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

China reported 31,161 cases in mainland China in its update Friday. The rise of 3,143 was the lowest daily increase since at least Tuesday.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University as of Friday, 31,523 people have been infected and 638 killed from the outbreak that first appeared late last year.

The outbreak may have emerged from a market selling seafood and meat in Wuhan. Researchers theorize that someone bought contaminated meat at the market, ate it, got sick and infected others, creating a ripple effect around the world.

However, research in the British medical journal The Lancet suggests the outbreak started earlier than December and casts doubt on the market connection.

While the majority of cases and deaths have been in China, the virus has spread across continents, prompting the WHO to declare a "public health emergency of international concern."

In the United States, 12 people have been infected, per Johns Hopkins. Federal health officials confirmed last week the first U.S. case of person-to-person spread of the virus.

President Donald Trump tweeted Friday he "had a long and very good conversation by phone with President Xi of China" on the country's response to the coronavirus.

"He will be successful, especially as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully becomes weaker, and then gone," Trump tweeted.

Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez; The Associated Press

Coronavirus Health Information Line

Call 1800 020 080 if you are seeking information on novel coronavirus. The line operates Monday–Friday from 8am to 8pm, Saturdays from 8am to 5pm, and Sundays from 9am to 5pm.

Please paste your link and ALWAYS check if a topic is ALREADY running then post in that relevant thread!

 

[Kailash Kumar]

Eww who attempted to eat (do whatever to contact the virus) a Pangolin?!

The Chinese pangolin is hunted for its meat, claws, and scales. Pangolin meat, which is considered a delicacy in parts of China and Vietnam, has been reported to sell for as high as US$200/kg. Pangolin scales and blood are in demand in Asia for their supposed medicinal qualities. Chinese pangolin scales are sold to treat a wide variety of ailments, from cancer to upset stomach to asthma. Other pangolin body parts are also used in traditional Chinese medicine.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_pangolin

 

[Dubious]

The Chinese pangolin is hunted for its meat, claws, and scales. Pangolin meat, which is considered a delicacy in parts of China and Vietnam, has been reported to sell for as high as US$200/kg. Pangolin scales and blood are in demand in Asia for their supposed medicinal qualities. Chinese pangolin scales are sold to treat a wide variety of ailments, from cancer to upset stomach to asthma. Other pangolin body parts are also used in traditional Chinese medicine.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_pangolin

NASTY!!

200/kg why on earth would anyone pay to get viruses like these?!

 

[Kailash Kumar]

NASTY!!

200/kg why on earth would anyone pay to get viruses like these?!

Well, I do not think that they would buy it if they knew they would contract the virus of it.
That Pangolins might be a carrier of the virus is just recently discovered.
These prices were probably before that discovery.

 

[Dubious]

Well, I do not think that they would buy it if they knew they would contract the virus of it.
That Pangolins might be a carrier of the virus is just recently discovered.
These prices were probably before that discovery.

Well, Chinese people need to know people not eating weird "delicacies" still live in other parts of the world so they need to let go of such traditions!

 

[Kailash Kumar]

Well, Chinese people need to know people not eating weird "delicacies" still live in other parts of the world so they need to let go of such traditions!

Perhaps.

I do not expect it though.
As the article says, the pangolin is the most trafficked animal in the world.
That the pangolin can carry a virus which is deadly, will not be enough to stop the illegal trade in them, which makes the traders a lot of money.
The people might stop eating the pangolin, but they will probably still use it in their traditional medicine where they believe it can treat various ailments.

In the end, money and beliefs are stronger than a fear of death.

 

[Pakistani Fighter]

Well, Chinese people need to know people not eating weird "delicacies" still live in other parts of the world so they need to let go of such traditions!

Veitnamese eats weird things too. I have watched Americans eating alligators

 

[Dubious]

Veitnamese eats weird things too. I have watched Americans eating alligators

Ok this goes for all weirdos!

They need to stop pretending to entertain or be brave and becoming hosts to viruses!

In the end, money and beliefs are stronger than a fear of death.

The fear part should come from the customers who buy it!