New evidence proof that actually bats sparked the new coronavirus in China, researchers say.
According to the new studies published in the journal Nature, it was discovered that coronavirus in humans has many similarities to coronavirus found in bats.
Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China used samples from seven patients severe pneumonia caused by the coronavirus. Six of those patients were workers at a seafood market in Wuhan, where the new coronavirus originated.
The genome sequences of the new strain — dubbed 2019-nCoV — are 96% similar to coronaviruses found in bats, which means that these animals are hosts of the disease.
The SARS coronavirus was believed to also emerged from bats in the early 2000s. First, it jumped from bats to civet cats before infecting humans. The virus killed 774 people and infected 8,098 in the 2003 outbreak.
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In another study, researchers from China’s Fudan University were looking at a man who has been admitted to the hospital on December 26 with symptoms of respiratory illness.
He was infected with the new coronavirus and researches took a sample from his lungs. The samples were identical to the SARS coronavirus from bats.
It’s not possible to find the source of the coronavirus outbreak just from one patient. However, findings were confirmed by investigations on others with the new virus.
The most recent research came after a study published in the journal The Lancet determined that 10 genome sequences of the virus had a nearly identical genetic sequence to bats.
The deadly virus has already affected more than 17,300 people in 24 countries around the world, including the United States, Australia, Russia, and Germany.
This virus is similar to SARS, but spreads more easily and causes less damage.
The coronavirus is highly contagious and it can spread by a simple cough, sneeze or handshake. Also, the virus can live on simple objects such as door handles.
