ITQB NOVA contributes to new research on COVID-19 origins
Oeiras, 03 October
A new international study, published in the journal Cell, provides further evidence supporting the animal origins of COVID-19. Based on genetic data collected from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, the research identifies wildlife species that likely played a significant role in the early spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the global pandemic.
The study analyzed more than 800 samples collected in and around the market in early 2020, and from viral genomes from early COVID-19 patients. Zach Hensel, leader of the Single Molecule Microbiology lab at ITQB NOVA and co-author of the paper, played a critical role in analyzing statistical correlations within the data, contributing significantly to the study’s findings.
Zach’s lab had previously worked on predicting protein-protein interactions for coronaviruses, identifying conserved residues throughout the pandemic, which offered key insights into the ongoing debate regarding the virus's origins. Besides that, Zach had highlighted important limitations in the data analysis of earlier reports, emphasizing that researchers must use samples collected under consistent conditions with uniform goals to draw meaningful conclusions. He noted that combining samples taken on different days or with varying strategies can lead to misleading results, creating false correlations between viral RNA and animal species that are not actual hosts of the virus.
This new study addresses those shortcomings by employing a systematic and rigorous analysis of environmental and wildlife samples from various locations within the Huanan market, offering a clearer understanding of potential intermediate hosts. Environmental samples showed more animal DNA than human DNA in areas where the virus was detected, indicating wildlife as potential sources of viral shedding. The study also provides a shortlist of animals - raccoon dogs, civet cats, bamboo rats, and Malayan porcupines - that could have been involved in the initial transmission of the virus to humans.
"The study highlights the preventable risks posed by the human-wildlife interface at places like the Huanan market and the urgent need to mitigate these risks in similar environments,” Zach explained. However, further research is needed to determine the precise role of these species.
Original paper
Cell | Genetic tracing of market wildlife and viruses at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic
Alexander Crits-Christoph, Joshua I. Levy, Jonathan E. Pekar, Stephen A. Goldstein, Reema Singh, Zach Hensel, Karthik Gangavarapu, Matthew B. Rogers, Niema Moshiri, Robert F. Garry, Edward C. Holmes, Marion P.G. Koopmans, Philippe Lemey, Thomas P. Peacock, Saskia Popescu, Andrew Rambaut, David L. Robertson, Marc A. Suchard, Joel O. Wertheim, Angela L. Rasmussen, Kristian G. Andersen, Michael Worobey, Florence Débarre
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2024.08.010
In the news:
Evidence points to Wuhan market as source of covid-19 outbreak, in New Scientist, 19.09.2024
Scientists again link covid pandemic origin to Wuhan market animals, in The Washington Post, 19.09.2024
New data supports animal marketorigins of COVID-19 pandemic, in United Press International, 19.09.2024
Suppressed Chinese Covid ‘origins’ data published and reviewed in leading journal, in The Telegtraph, 19.09.2024
Nova análise genética no mercado de Wuhan pode ajudar aencontrar origem da Covid-19, in Observador, 20.09.2024
Scientists Shed Light on Wildlife Species at Origin of COVID-19 in Wuhan, in Newsweek, 19.09.2024
COVID pandemic started in Wuhan market animals after all,suggests latest study, in Nature, 20.09.2024
Study says Covid likely originated from Huanan market wildlife, in Gulf Times, 23.09.2024
Nova análise genética no mercado de Wuhanpode ajudar a encontrar origem da covid-19, in Expresso, 20.09.2024
