(Source)
A new study published in the journal Cell supports the theory that COVID-19 originated from the wildlife trade at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China.
Based on more than 800 surface samples collected in early 2020, the study found genetic material of raccoon dogs, bamboo rats, civet cats and other wild animals in areas heavily infected with the virus, suggesting that these animals may have been infected and transmitted SARS-CoV-2 – the coronavirus that COVID-19 — to people.
Speaking with AFPCo-author and evolutionary biologist Florence Debarre explained that while they can’t determine whether the animals at the market were infected or not, their research confirms that there were wild animals in the southwest corner of the market in late 2019, which is also an area where “a lot” of SARS-CoV-2 was found. In addition, both the “A” and “B” virus lineages that circulated early in the pandemic detected in market samplesDespite the ongoing debates about a laboratory leak — the other leading origin theory — all available data points to a spillover event that likely occurred in the market, Debarre said.
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