Progress in source tracking of SARS-CoV-2.
10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2020.12.22
- Author:
Wenqiao HE
1
;
Qing CHEN
1
Author Information
1. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
SARS-CoV-2;
evolution;
host;
mutation;
origin
- MeSH:
Animals;
COVID-19/transmission*;
Cats;
China;
Chiroptera/virology*;
Disease Vectors;
Dogs;
Evolution, Molecular;
Humans;
SARS-CoV-2/classification*
- From:
Journal of Southern Medical University
2020;40(12):1838-1842
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a total of 55 928 327 confirmed cases and 1 344 003 deaths as of November 19, 2020. But so far the origin of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes this pandemic has remained undetermined. The purpose of this study is to review the current research of SARS-CoV-2 and the existing problems therein, which may provide inspiration for further researches. Existing evidence suggested that SARS-CoV-2 may be derived from bat coronavirus 40-70 years ago. During the evolution, this virus underwent extensive variations in the process of mutations and natural selection. Different genomic regions of SARS-CoV-2 may have different selection pressures, but all of which increase the difficulty of tracing the origin of this virus. A wide variety of animals have been considered as potential hosts of SARS-CoV-2, including cats, lions, tigers, dogs and minks. SARS-CoV-2 has a chance to transmit from humans to animals and can be transmitted among animals. Current research evidence has shown that China is not the original source of SARS-CoV-2. It is still unclear how the virus spreads to human, and efforts are still need to be made to explore the origin of SARS-CoV-2, its hosts and intermediate hosts, and the mechanism of its transmission across different species of animals.
