International scientists specializing in viruses said, this Thursday (16/3), to have found evidence that the Covid-19 pandemic would have started from raccoon dogs. The infected animals would be on sale at the Huanan seafood market, in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the first cases of the disease were recorded in humans.
Data from genetic samples from the market were entered into the international platform Gisaid by researchers from the Center for Disease Control in China and removed shortly therefollowing, following Chinese authorities were questioned regarding the delay in disclosing the information.
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Material was collected in and around the market in January 2020, shortly following authorities closed the site. The team responsible for the investigation collected the samples from cages used to transport animals, floors and walls. The positive samples for the coronavirus were compatible with raccoon dog genetic material.
The data do not prove, however, whether the raccoon dog was actually infected, whether it was responsible for passing the virus to humans, whether another animal started the chain of transmission or even whether the mammal was previously infected by people.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been cautious in dealing with the new findings. At a press conference held this Friday (17/3), WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the data do not provide a definitive answer to the question of how the pandemic began.
So far, the Chinese CDC’s survey results have not been presented directly to the WHO. The organization’s researchers only had access to the data released briefly.
“Last Sunday, the WHO became aware of the data published in Gisaid. While it was online, scientists from several countries downloaded and analyzed the information. As soon as we became aware of these data, we contacted the Chinese CDC and urged them to share them with the WHO and the international scientific community so that they can be analyzed”, said the WHO leader.
Ghebreyesus criticized China for not sharing genetic information earlier and called for more transparency. “This data might and should have been shared three years ago,” he emphasized.
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Previous studies have already shown that raccoon dogs are susceptible to infection by Sars-Cov-2. For WHO technical director Maria Van Kerkhove, the new findings provide clues to help understand what may have happened, but do not confirm the origin of the pandemic.
“This more detailed analysis really dives deeper into the available information and metadata associated with these sequences. The results that were presented to us by international researchers who downloaded this data is that there is molecular evidence that animals were sold in the Wuhan market, and this is new information. And secondly, the animals whose DNA was identified include a lot of different animals, like these raccoon dogs,” says Maria.
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