Pillar 2
Host-Pathogen Interactions
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is believed to have started at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in China, where live animals were sold. To understand how the virus may have spread from animals to humans, researchers analyzed environmental samples from the market, collected in early 2020. Using advanced genetic techniques (qPCR and sequencing), they found that the diversity of SARS-CoV-2 strains in the market was consistent with the virus emerging from there. The virus was most commonly found near and within a wildlife stall, which sold animals like civets, bamboo rats, and raccoon dogs, previously suspected to spread the virus. The study detected not only SARS-CoV-2 but also other viruses from animals in the stall. By comparing the genetic data of market animals with those from farms and other markets, the researchers identified certain animals that could have played a role in spreading the virus to humans. This research helps focus future efforts on testing these animals to better understand the origins of the virus.
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 Rogers, Niema Moshiri, Robert F. Garry , Edward C. Holmes , Marion P.G. Koopmans, Philippe Lemey, Thomas . Peacock, Saskia Popescu, Andrew Rambaut, David L. Robertson, Marc A. Suchard, Joel O. Wertheim, Angela L. Rasmussen, Kristian G. Andersen, Michael Worobey, and Florence Débarre. Cell.2024.09.1016; https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00901-2