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There is another coronavirus with the potential to attack humans. It’s called SADS-CoV – what is causing the covid-19 pandemic is SARS-CoV-2 – and it affects pigs, which is why it’s called swine diarrhea syndrome.
What researchers at the University of North Carolina in the United States announced this week is that the strain of a new type of coronavirus It affects pigs and can replicate in cells of the human liver and intestine, as well as in cells of the respiratory tract. As there are no reported cases in humans, the effects of the disease are unknown. It is said that the highest probability of passing from animals to humans will be through contact, which is why pig farmers and breeders are most at risk.
The Sads-CoV virus began infecting pig farms in China in 2016. Diarrhea and vomiting are the most common symptoms in animals, and piglets are more affected than adults: the virus caused the death of 90% of Young. who contracted it.
The study, published this week in procedures of the National Academy of Sciences, says the virus belongs to the same family as Sars-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19. Last year epidemiologists, immunologists and microbiologists from UNC-Chapel Hill Group 14, led by Caitlin Edwards and Rachel Graham, studied Sads-CoV to find out if the virus could jump species and infect humans.
Infected mammalian cells
And they concluded that there is such a possibility, although there are no registered cases in this regard. To reach this conclusion, the researchers infected various types of cells with a synthetic formula of SADS-CoV. The results show that a large number of mammalian cells, including humans, are susceptible to infection. These cells are found mainly in the liver, lungs, and intestines.
“It is impossible to predict whether this virus could emerge and infect human populations. However, the wide range of SADS-CoV hosts, along with the ability to replicate in human lung and enteric cells, demonstrates a potential risk for future emergency events. . in human and animal populations, “says Caitlin Edwards, cited by Exam Brazilian.
Rachel Graham added to The news and the observer that “the tricky part is that we don’t know what kinds of diseases would manifest” if the virus were transmitted to humans. Although the virus causes gastrointestinal problems in pigs, in humans it can cause respiratory or other problems.
A different virus than the one that killed pigs in China
According to the researchers, this is a different virus from the one that has killed millions of animals in China and has spread to the rest of the world; It was a virus from the Asfarviridae family, which only infects pigs and wild boars, not related to the coronavirus and which does not. hits humans. Apparently it is also different from another one already found in pigs and derived from H1N1.
“While many researchers are focusing on the emerging potential of beta-coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS, alpha-coronaviruses can be of equal concern to human health.”said Ralph Baric, professor of epidemiology and global public health at the University of North Carolina.
“If this virus were to occur in the United States, the primary concern would be the pig industry,” added Rachel Graham. After China and the European Union, the United States is the world’s leading pig producer.
Caitlin Edwards and Rachel Graham told the News & Observer that the team of researchers submitted their findings for publication in early 2020, before the pandemic was declared. But stopping the rise of covid-19 has become a priority for scientists. That they do not have hands to measure with coronavirus.
