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A strain of coronavirus that has been infecting pigs in China since 2016, causing severe diarrhea and vomiting, could spread to humans, a study warned.
The strain, ‘swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus,’ or SADS-CoV, is believed to have come from bats and has been worrying the livestock industry.
It is more dangerous for the piglets. A broader outbreak of SADS-CoV could cause serious economic damage in those countries that depend on the production and sale of pork.
The United States, for example, was the world’s third-largest producer of pork last year, and the industry was previously hit by another swine coronavirus in 2012.
Researchers from North Carolina have shown that SADS-CoV can become infected and replicate within human airways, liver, and intestinal cells.
A strain of coronavirus that has been infecting pigs in China since 2016, causing diarrhea and vomiting, can spread to humans. In the photo, a pig on a Chinese farm (file image)
SADS-CoV belongs to the same family of viruses as SARS-CoV-2, the agent behind the COVID-19 pandemic, but it belongs to a different genus. Specifically, SADS-CoV is an ‘alphacoronavirus’, while SARS-CoV-2 is a ‘betacoronavirus’.
“Many researchers are focused on the emerging potential of beta-coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS,” explained paper author and epidemiologist Ralph Baric of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“In reality, alphacoronaviruses may be just as important, if not greater, human health concerns, given their potential to jump rapidly between species.”
The researchers also explained that SADS-CoV is distinct from two alphacoronaviruses of the common cold in humans, HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63.
In their study, Professor Baric and his colleagues investigated the risk of the so-called “spillover” – that SADS-CoV could jump out of pigs and infect human populations.
To do this, they infected various types of synthetic cells with the porcine coronavirus and monitored how the virus replicated and spread.
The researchers found that a wide range of mammalian cells, including primary human intestinal and lung cells, are susceptible to SADS-CoV infection.
However, unlike SARS-CoV-2, the team noted that the porcine coronavirus is capable of replicating faster in intestinal cells, rather than in the lungs.
Furthermore, the findings suggest that, when it comes to SADS-CoV, humans have not acquired the herd cross-protective immunity that may prevent us from contracting coronaviruses from animal populations.
“SADS-CoV is derived from the bat coronaviruses called HKU2, which is a heterogeneous group of viruses with worldwide distribution,” said article author and public health expert Caitlin Edwards, also from the University of North Carolina.
“It is impossible to predict whether this virus, or a closely related HKU2 bat strain, could emerge and infect human populations,” he added.
“However, the wide host range of SADS-CoV, along with the ability to replicate in primary lung and human enteric cells, demonstrates a potential risk of future emergency events in human and animal populations.”
“The promising data with remdesivir provide a potential treatment option in the event of a human overflow event,” said Ms. Edwards. We recommend that both pig workers and the pig population be continuously monitored for signs of SADS-CoV infections to prevent outbreaks and massive economic losses, ” said Ms. Edwards
The researchers also explored the potential against the swine coronavirus of the broad-spectrum antiviral remdesivir, which has been touted as a treatment to speed recovery from COVID-19, and was recently administered to US President Donald Trump.
The team’s preliminary results hint that the drug is effective against SADS-CoV, although tests in animals and other cell types will be needed to confirm this.
“The promising data with remdesivir provides a potential treatment option in the event of a human spillover event,” said Ms. Edwards.
“We recommend that both the pig workers and the pig population be continuously monitored for signs of SADS-CoV infections to prevent outbreaks and massive economic losses.”
“It is not surprising that we are currently looking for partners to investigate the potential of SADS-CoV vaccine candidates to protect pigs,” said Professor Baric.
“While surveillance and early separation of infected piglets from sows provide the opportunity to mitigate larger outbreaks and the potential for contagion to humans, vaccines can be key to limiting global spread and human emergency events. “.
The full study findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
