By Nicoletta Lanese - Staff Writer 17 minutes ago
Hundreds of mammal species could serve as incubators for coronaviruses to mix and match with one another, potentially forming new viruses and fueling future pandemics, a new study predicts. These species include wild animals, such as bats and monkeys, as well as domestic animals, such as pigs and cats.
The study, published Feb. 16 in the journal Nature Communications, highlights the potential for coronaviruses to infect a wide range of hosts. In fact, the work identifies hundreds of animal species that may become infected with known coronaviruses, although many of these infections haven't been observed in the wild yet.
... The algorithm predicted that, on average, each virus has more than 12 mammalian hosts. Each screened animal species, in turn, was predicted to be a potential host for more than five coronaviruses, on average.
Animals that can serve as hosts for many coronaviruses present the biggest threat; when several coronavirus strains invade the same cell, their genes can be mixed and matched as they replicate, thus generating new, patchwork viruses.
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The study, published Feb. 16 in the journal Nature Communications
Here:
Hundreds of mammal species could serve as incubators for coronaviruses to mix and match with one another, potentially forming new viruses and fueling future pandemics, a new study predicts. These species include wild animals, such as bats and monkeys, as well as domestic animals, such as pigs and cats.
The study, published Feb. 16 in the journal Nature Communications, highlights the potential for coronaviruses to infect a wide range of hosts. In fact, the work identifies hundreds of animal species that may become infected with known coronaviruses, although many of these infections haven't been observed in the wild yet.
... The algorithm predicted that, on average, each virus has more than 12 mammalian hosts. Each screened animal species, in turn, was predicted to be a potential host for more than five coronaviruses, on average.
Animals that can serve as hosts for many coronaviruses present the biggest threat; when several coronavirus strains invade the same cell, their genes can be mixed and matched as they replicate, thus generating new, patchwork viruses.
_________________________________
The study, published Feb. 16 in the journal Nature Communications
Here: