Researchers have identified and completed the genetic analysis of a newly discovered coronavirus one that has evolved from a coronavirus that afflicts dogs to infect humans and may contribute to respiratory symptoms.
The discovery of the first dog coronavirus found to have crossed over to infecting people underscores the treacherous nature of coronaviruses and the need to monitor animal viruses as a way of predicting possible threats to public health, researchers say. The researchers said they had tested nasal swab samples taken from 301 pneumonia patients at a hospital in the east Malaysian state of Sarawak. Eight of the samples, mostly from children under 5 years old, came back positive for a canine coronavirus.
Further genomic sequencing found that the new strain, named CCoV-HuPn-2018, shared characteristics of other coronaviruses known to have infected cats and pigs but was mostly similar to one that is known to have infected dogs. It also contained a genetic deletion, or mutation, that was not found in any known canine coronaviruses but was present in human strains such as SARS-COV and SARS-COV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic.
The source of the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus itself, whether animal or other, remains unclear. The paper’s authors said the findings indicated that the virus likely recently jumped from animals to humans, but stressed that more studies were needed to determine whether it can be transmitted between people. They also said it was unclear whether the virus could make people sick, noting that it was possible it was merely “carried” in the patient’s airways without causing disease.
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