Leaked from a lab? A new study sheds light on the formation of the corona

A new study that examined the evolutionary development of the corona virus, shows that contrary to various beliefs according to which the virus began its journey during a laboratory experiment that leaked outside the boundaries of the laboratory, it is a virus that has passed through genetic succession through a number of animals in natural areas in southern China, through the local market in Wuhan, where they came The animals are in contact with humans. According to the research, this is how he managed to undergo significant genetic changes that caused infection in humans, which as we know ended in mass infection and led to the global epidemic.Prof. Cyril Cohen, head of the immunotherapy laboratory at Bar-Ilan University, explains that in the current study, they sampled samples collected from animals in the market in January 2020 and through deep sequencing, they tried to trace the sources of the corona virus. “According to this comprehensive study, the central focus where the epidemic began was the same market in Wuhan. Evidence of strains similar to the corona we know today was found in various types of animals, including a raccoon fox and a porcupine of a certain type, and it is very possible that one of these strains is the one that actually transmitted the corona to humans.” .

 

The professor explains that in order for a virus to pass from an animal to humans, it must undergo evolutionary development: “Many of the viruses we know, including the corona and the flu, change their structure randomly, and finally a ‘form’ is obtained that is able to pass to humans and infect them. This is exactly what apparently happened In this case – the corona virus went through several such ‘incarnations’ until it reached humans through the market in Wuhan, where humans came into contact with the same animals that carried the virus.”

According to him, when you look at the genetic data of the corona, you realize that there was not one strain that was involved in the infection, so the explanation is that the corona started even before it was officially reported. “According to the evidence collected, it seems that there were several ‘initial infections,’ meaning that the virus did not spread in a single event, but during its several attempts to pass from animals to humans. Finally, only one of them survived and actually caused the corona we know. It can be assumed that there were already dozens of infections before the publications that testified about the spread of the virus”.

“The evolution of the virus made it contagious”

Prof. Cohen further explains that the research actually sheds light on the issue of the ‘missing link’ in the infection chain – that is, about the type of animals that transmitted the virus to the bat and from there to humans. “The evolution of the virus made it more contagious. The evidence actually strengthens the theory that the virus circulated in the market and it was the focal point for its spread in humans. That is, the virus underwent genetic changes, and then reached a human environment where it was able to pass to humans.”

If so, according to Prof. Cohen, the conclusions are that the proximity of humans to different wild species of animals should be limited and the trade of animals in the markets should be monitored, because as the research shows, this proximity encourages the transmission of zoonotic diseases (which originate from animals).

“It’s absolutely amazing to think that everyone who gets sick with Corona is actually part of a problem that started in that distant market in China. The fact that a virus is able to go through a genetic cascade that starts in some remote jungle and reach us humans reinforces the fact that we are actually a small global village, at least when it comes to viruses various”.

In conclusion, the professor qualifies the words and says that “it is not yet definite proof, but a scenario that seems most likely. However, the study definitely strengthens the hypothesis that the corona began its journey in the bodies of animals, and not in a laboratory.”