Data collected from market in Wuhan provides ‘strongest evidence’ yet that animals susceptible to Sars-Cov-2 were at traded at the site.
Among the samples positive for Sars-Cov-2, researchers found genetic material belonging to animals – including significant amounts from raccoon dogs CREDIT: Daniel Heuclin
A new analysis of data collected from the wet market in Wuhan in the early stages of the pandemic has uncovered genetic material belonging to wildlife including raccoon dogs.
It is not a “smoking gun”, but it provides the “strongest evidence” yet that animals susceptible to Sars-Cov-2 were traded at the site in late 2019 and may have acted as the “intermediate host”, which passed the virus from bats to humans.
According to the scientists involved, the findings are a critical clue to better understand the origins of the virus. It also shows that China is sitting on more data that it has previously released or shared internationally.
Rumours are circulating that a major new scientific paper is about to be published by Chinese scientists laying out what they know of the early samples and animals taken from the market in the first days of the outbreak.
Last week Chinese researchers quietly posted 600 gigabytes of data on GISAID, a database of genetic sequences, possibly in preparation for the publication of a new paper.
An international team of researchers spotted this last week and were able to analyse samples from swabs taken just after authorities shut down Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market – which is strongly linked to the first known human cases of Covid-19.
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