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A scaly and endangered mammal could be the missing link in a coronavirus mystery that’s baffling scientists, according to a new study.
Researchers suggest pangolins passed the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic from bats to humans, the study published this week in the Journal of Proteome Research says.
“Understanding where SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic – came from and how it spreads is important for its control and treatment,” according to an American Chemical Society news release. “Most experts agree that bats are a natural reservoir of (the virus), but an intermediate host was needed for it to jump from bats to humans.”
Some experts remain unsure pangolins transmitted this virus to people.
“In my opinion, none of the data I have seen so far is suggesting that pangolins did serve as an intermediate host,” Kristian G. Andersen, a viral disease expert, told The New York Times. “However, that doesn’t mean they didn’t serve as an intermediate host.”
Nevertheless, another study published this week predicts the animal could pass on new coronaviruses in the future.
WHAT ARE PANGOLINS?
Pangolins are sometimes mistaken for reptiles because they’re the only mammal completely covered in scales, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The animal rolls into a compact ball to protect itself from predators and fights with its sharp tail, the organization says.
They feast on ants and termites with an “extraordinarily” long and sticky tongue, according to Save Pangolins, a conservation group.
The eight species of pangolin are considered either endangered or vulnerable, National Geographic reported. Pangolins are poached for food and medicine, BBC reported.
“The shy, harmless pangolin is becoming increasingly well known for one reason: It’s believed to be the world’s most trafficked non-human mammal,” National Geographic writes.
PANGOLINS AND CORONAVIRUS
Two studies published this week examine the connection between pangolins and the virus that causes COVID-19.
The study published in the Journal of Proteome Research examined DNA and protein sequences in pangolins. Researchers found protein sequences in the lungs of sick animals to be 91% identical to the virus infecting humans. They also found only five differences in the “spike” protein, which the virus uses to infect human cells. That’s compared to 19 differences between the human and bat proteins, according to the study.
“This evidence points to the pangolin as the most likely intermediate host for the new coronavirus, but additional intermediate hosts could be possible,” the researchers said.
The second study published in Nature is less definitive — though it had similar findings. The researchers studied pangolins seized in Chinese anti-smuggling operations. They found viruses related to the one behind COVID-19.
“The discovery of multiple lineages of pangolin coronavirus and their similarity to SARS-CoV-2 suggests that pangolins should be considered as possible hosts in the emergence of novel coronaviruses and should be removed from wet markets to prevent zoonotic transmission,” researchers said.
The coronavirus pandemic is believed to have began at a wet market in Wuhan, China.
FUTURE PANDEMICS?
Wildlife conservationists say this is the time for stop poaching pangolins rather than persecute the animal, BBC reported. They argue the sale of pangolins could start another outbreak.
“This is the time for the international community to pressure their governments to end illegal wildlife trade,” Elisa Panjang, a pangolin conservation officer at the Danau Girang Field Center in Malaysia, told BBC.
Others agree. Paul Thompson, a co-founder of Save Pangolins, said the pandemic shows another reason that pangolins shouldn’t be traded, National Geographic reported.
“If there is one clear message from this global crisis, it’s that the sale and consumption of pangolins in markets should be strictly prohibited to avoid future pandemics,” Thompson told National Geographic.
A scaly and endangered mammal could be the missing link in a coronavirus mystery that’s baffling scientists, according to a new study.
Researchers suggest pangolins passed the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic from bats to humans, the study published this week in the Journal of Proteome Research says.
“Understanding where SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic – came from and how it spreads is important for its control and treatment,” according to an American Chemical Society news release. “Most experts agree that bats are a natural reservoir of (the virus), but an intermediate host was needed for it to jump from bats to humans.”
Some experts remain unsure pangolins transmitted this virus to people.
“In my opinion, none of the data I have seen so far is suggesting that pangolins did serve as an intermediate host,” Kristian G. Andersen, a viral disease expert, told The New York Times. “However, that doesn’t mean they didn’t serve as an intermediate host.”
Nevertheless, another study published this week predicts the animal could pass on new coronaviruses in the future.
WHAT ARE PANGOLINS?
Pangolins are sometimes mistaken for reptiles because they’re the only mammal completely covered in scales, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The animal rolls into a compact ball to protect itself from predators and fights with its sharp tail, the organization says.
They feast on ants and termites with an “extraordinarily” long and sticky tongue, according to Save Pangolins, a conservation group.
The eight species of pangolin are considered either endangered or vulnerable, National Geographic reported. Pangolins are poached for food and medicine, BBC reported.
“The shy, harmless pangolin is becoming increasingly well known for one reason: It’s believed to be the world’s most trafficked non-human mammal,” National Geographic writes.
PANGOLINS AND CORONAVIRUS
Two studies published this week examine the connection between pangolins and the virus that causes COVID-19.
The study published in the Journal of Proteome Research examined DNA and protein sequences in pangolins. Researchers found protein sequences in the lungs of sick animals to be 91% identical to the virus infecting humans. They also found only five differences in the “spike” protein, which the virus uses to infect human cells. That’s compared to 19 differences between the human and bat proteins, according to the study.
“This evidence points to the pangolin as the most likely intermediate host for the new coronavirus, but additional intermediate hosts could be possible,” the researchers said.
The second study published in Nature is less definitive — though it had similar findings. The researchers studied pangolins seized in Chinese anti-smuggling operations. They found viruses related to the one behind COVID-19.
“The discovery of multiple lineages of pangolin coronavirus and their similarity to SARS-CoV-2 suggests that pangolins should be considered as possible hosts in the emergence of novel coronaviruses and should be removed from wet markets to prevent zoonotic transmission,” researchers said.
The coronavirus pandemic is believed to have began at a wet market in Wuhan, China.
FUTURE PANDEMICS?
Wildlife conservationists say this is the time for stop poaching pangolins rather than persecute the animal, BBC reported. They argue the sale of pangolins could start another outbreak.
“This is the time for the international community to pressure their governments to end illegal wildlife trade,” Elisa Panjang, a pangolin conservation officer at the Danau Girang Field Center in Malaysia, told BBC.
Others agree. Paul Thompson, a co-founder of Save Pangolins, said the pandemic shows another reason that pangolins shouldn’t be traded, National Geographic reported.
“If there is one clear message from this global crisis, it’s that the sale and consumption of pangolins in markets should be strictly prohibited to avoid future pandemics,” Thompson told National Geographic.
