Scientists link civet cats to Sars outbreak
Hong Kong scientists have identified the likely animal source of the Sars virus: the civet cat, an exotic delicacy favoured by animal connoisseurs in southern China.
The finding is seen as crucial in building a defence against future outbreaks. Medical authorities can now focus on finding ways to prevent the virus from crossing the species barrier to humans, like avian flu, which came from birds.
University of Hong Kong microbiology professor Yuen Kwok-yung said faeces from various animals, including wild cats, barking deer and rabbits, had been tested for the coronavirus that causes Sars.
Results from the University of Hong Kong and the Shenzhen Centre for Disease Control showed the virus in a high percentage of one type of civet cat, the masked palm civet, he said.
'Looking at the genetic information, it is highly likely that the virus has been jumping from the civets to humans ... that in the civets, it is the precursor to the human virus. We were able to get more than four strains from the civet cats so we are quite confident that it is heavily infected by this virus,' Professor Yuen said.
Mainland researchers have long said that the early victims of Sars in Guangdong, where the virus first appeared in November, were chefs and animal handlers.
Professor Yuen said the findings meant regulations should be put in place to ensure the hygienic rearing, slaughter and sale of wild animals.
'Although we can control the human-to-human spread, if we cannot control it jumping from animals to humans, the same epidemic can occur again,' he said.
'So it is important that we have ways of controlling the rearing, slaughtering and selling of these wild game animals.'
The coronavirus was found in the cat's faeces and respiratory secretions, Professor Yuen said. Transmission to humans became possible via the 'rearing, slaughtering or even cooking' processes, when people touched infected surfaces and then touched their mouths, nose and eyes.
But as the virus did not appear to make the animals sick, it should be possible to develop a vaccine for them, he said. In any case, 'by eating a fully cooked wild animal, it is extremely unlikely you will get the infection', he said.
The civet cat ranked as the second most popular wild animal eaten by Hong Kong residents in a 1996 survey conducted by animal rights group Traffic East Asia - behind snake and ahead of Pangolin. It is from the same family as the mongoose and has a cat-like body, long tail and a weasel-like face.
Professor Yuen said he did not think it would be realistic to try to prevent a future outbreak by stopping people from eating wild animals such as the civet altogether.
'It is very difficult to stop a culture that has been there for 5,000 years,' he said.
