China coronavirus may have come from a snake, researchers say
- Nearest match for virus’s genetic coding pattern found in two species – the Many-banded krait and Chinese cobra – both of which are commonly found in southern China, scientists say
- Meanwhile, Chinese professor in Germany says deadly outbreak likely to peak in March, based on information about spread of Sars
If the snake claim is substantiated – other researchers in China have challenged it – it would change the scientific world’s understanding of the transmission and mutation of Sars-like pathogens, as it would be the first time a reptile had been found to be the reservoir.
In the study, published in the Journal of Medical Virology on Wednesday, a joint team from Beijing, Nanning, Ningbo and Wuhan reconstructed the virus's physical structure using published data.
They discovered it had a mysterious spike protein. This protein is usually used by a virus to recognise and hook on to the surface of a host cell, but its pattern in the new virus has never been seen before.
Earlier studies found that the Wuhan and Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) viruses shared a common ancestor that could be traced to a betacoronavirus that had been found in bats. However, that virus could not be transmitted to humans without an intermediate.
