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Snakes may be source of deadly novel coronavirus: study

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It looks like snakes may be the source of a new coronavirus that has infected hundreds in China, killing at least 17 people, and has spread to several countries.

According to the findings, published in the Journal of Medical Virology, “analysis suggest that snake is the most probable wildlife animal reservoir responsible for the current outbreak of 2019-nCoV infection.”

The first cases in the new coronavirus outbreak were connected to people who worked at or visited a seafood market in Wuhan, which has since been closed for an investigation.

Researchers used two types of snakes in their study: the many-banded krait and the Chinese cobra. In their report, researchers explain “virus codon usage patterns resemble its host to some extent.”

Their thoughts that snakes may be the source of the coronavirus relates in part to the fact that the coronavirus and snakes from China have “similar synonymous codon usage bias.”

“These novel findings warrant future investigation to experimentally determine if snake serves as the 2019-nCoV reservoir and the homologous recombination within the spike glycoprotein determine the tropism of the 2019-nCoV in viral transmission and replication,” the study reads.

The findings come as China plans to lock down more cities in a bid to contain the virus. Three cities — Wuhan, Huanggang, and Ezhou — home to more than 18-million people are part of the planned shutdown during the Lunar New Year travel rush.

Meanwhile, authorities are cancelling “major events” indefinitely in the capital, with Beijing officials saying the measures are needed to “execute epidemic prevention and control.”

All of the deaths have so far been reported in China, but there have been a number confirmed cases of coronavirus in several countries. The first North American case of the novel coronavirus was confirmed to the public in Washington state on Tuesday.

In Canada, there are no confirmed cases of the outbreak, but Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu says five or six cases are under observation, adding the risk to Canadians is low.

Airports around the globe, including here in Canada, like Vancouver International and Pearson International, have stepped up screening measures to try and determine if someone entering the country has been infected by the coronavirus or not.

While researchers have said the virus may have first been passed from animal to human, some experts have said the virus could be mutating. Mutations have the possibility of making a virus more deadly or contagious.

The coronavirus family includes the common cold as well as viruses that can be much more severe, like SARS or MERS — Middle East respiratory syndrome, which developed from camels.

The SARS outbreak in 2002-2003 killed close to 800 people.

On Thursday, the World Health Organization decided it was currently not the time to declare a global health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak.

Read the full study: 

Coronavirus snake study - Ji_et_al-2020-Journal_of_Medical_Virology

-With files from Jaime Pulfer and Kathryn Tindale

Editor’s note: We have changed the headline and updated this article to correctly refer to the new virus.

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