Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
08-04-2023
BEIJING: A research team in China has published analysis of samples taken more than three years ago from the market linked to the outbreak of Covid-19.
The Huanan seafood and wildlife market has been a focal point in the search for the origin of the coronavirus but this is the first peer-reviewed study of biological evidence gathered from the market back in 2020.
By linking the virus with animals sold in the market, it could open new lines of inquiry into how the outbreak began.
The research reveals swabs that tested positive for the virus also contained genetic material from wild animals.
Some scientists say this is further evidence that the disease was initially transmitted from an infected animal to a human but others have urged caution in interpreting the findings and it remains unclear why it took three years for the genetic content of the samples to be made public.
Another theory has centred on the suggestion that the virus accidentally leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan.
The Chinese research team posted an early version of their study online back in February 2022, but they did not publish the full genetic information that was contained in the samples gathered from the market.
In March this year, another international group of researchers shared their own assessment of what those crucial market swabs had revealed, after spotting that the genetic sequences had been posted on a scientific data-sharing website.
This new analysis, which has been validated by other scientists before being published in the journal Nature, includes more important detail about the content of those samples, which were collected from stalls, surfaces, cages and machinery inside the market.
The Chinese research team’s paper showed that some samples collected from areas where wildlife was being sold – had tested positive for the virus.
Their analysis also showed that animals now known to be susceptible to the virus, particularly raccoon dogs, were being sold alive in those locations. (Int’l News Desk)
