The animals in Guangdong markets are very close to virus' source, experts say
Fresh evidence has been produced to show civet cats in Guangdong animal markets were a key spreader of the Sars virus that killed 916 people worldwide.
Scientists in Hong Kong and Guangdong compared samples from Sars patients with Sars coronavirus taken from masked palm civets and concluded the markets 'provide a venue for the [virus] to amplify and transmit to new hosts, including humans'.
'This is critically important from the point of view of public health,' said the researchers.
Reacting to the study, a leading biologist last night said mainland authorities should reintroduce the recently lifted ban on trading in wild animals. The research showed the source of Sars was 'very close to the civet cat', said Henry Niman, of the Harvard Medical School.
Published online by Science magazine, the study was conducted by 18 scientists from the University of Hong Kong, the Department of Health and the Guangdong Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. It had been eagerly awaited after HKU scientists' surprising announcement in May that the Sars coronavirus had been detected in civet cats reared and sold at Guangdong's wild animal markets.
The scientists, led by HKU's gene sequencing expert Guan Yi, came to their conclusion about the markets' role in transmission after comparing genetic sequencing of Sars samples from patients in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Vietnam and Canada with the Sars coronavirus found in six masked palm civets and a raccoon dog from a Guangdong market.