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Animal Reservoir

All articles tagged with #animal reservoir

health2 years ago•3 min saved

Deer Transmit COVID-19 to Humans, USDA Research Finds

Research led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service suggests that the coronavirus was transmitted to white-tailed deer by humans over 100 times in late 2021 and early 2022. The virus likely spread widely among deer, mutated in the animals, and may have been passed back to humans at least three times. Concerns arise that deer could become a long-term animal reservoir for the virus and a potential source of new variants. While there is no evidence that deer play a major role in spreading the virus to humans, the transmission of the virus from people to animals raises public health concerns, including the persistence of viral variants and the potential for new variants to emerge.

via The New York Times|

#animal-reservoir #coronavirus #deer

science2 years ago•5 min saved

China's Delayed COVID-19 Data Disclosure Cost 3 Years of Political Dispute.

The release and analysis of viral and animal genetic material collected from the Huanan wet market in Wuhan, China, has revealed stronger evidence that raccoon dogs at the market were a possible animal reservoir of SARS-CoV-2, potentially infecting humans. If this evidence had been available three years ago, it could have reduced the political argy-bargy about less likely hypotheses of the pandemic's origins and better focused research attention. The delay in disclosing the data has made it difficult to track the animal sources and people who handled these animals, but open disclosure of sequence data is crucial for scientific investigation.

via The Conversation|

#animal-reservoir #covid-19 #data-disclosure