NCov- Hold Off on Blaming Snakes

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   https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2020/01/articles/animals/reptiles/novel-coronavirus-in-chinahold-off-on-blaming-snakes/

By Scott Weese on January 23, 2020

The situation with this novel coronavirus in China is rapidly changing, with more aggressive control measures in China and lots of planning elsewhere. Recently, snakes were suggested as the origin of this virus, which was surprising and contrary to the assumption that this would be traced back to bats.

As with many outbreaks, information is flowing rapidly and the snake hypothesis has been challenged by many since it came out. For those of you interested in a detailed discussion of this, a detailed discussion of this is present here.

http://virological.org/t/ncovs-relationship-to-bat-coronaviruses-recombination-signals-no-snakes/331

I’m sure we’ll see much more genetic analysis of this virus by many different groups, but I suspect it will keep coming back to bats as the source. How it made it to humans will still be a big question, since it’s quite likely there was a different species that bridged bats and humans (as was the case with raccoon dogs and civets with SARS).

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Tabitha111 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: January 11 2020 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 11640	Post Options Post Reply Quote Tabitha111 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: NCov- Hold Off on Blaming Snakes Posted: January 24 2020 at 1:57pm
	https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2020/01/articles/animals/reptiles/novel-coronavirus-in-chinahold-off-on-blaming-snakes/ By Scott Weese on January 23, 2020 The situation with this novel coronavirus in China is rapidly changing, with more aggressive control measures in China and lots of planning elsewhere. Recently, snakes were suggested as the origin of this virus, which was surprising and contrary to the assumption that this would be traced back to bats. As with many outbreaks, information is flowing rapidly and the snake hypothesis has been challenged by many since it came out. For those of you interested in a detailed discussion of this, a detailed discussion of this is present here. http://virological.org/t/ncovs-relationship-to-bat-coronaviruses-recombination-signals-no-snakes/331 I’m sure we’ll see much more genetic analysis of this virus by many different groups, but I suspect it will keep coming back to bats as the source. How it made it to humans will still be a big question, since it’s quite likely there was a different species that bridged bats and humans (as was the case with raccoon dogs and civets with SARS).

Technophobe Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Assistant Admin Joined: January 16 2014 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 88450	Post Options Post Reply Quote Technophobe Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: January 24 2020 at 4:07pm
	To be honest, bats are more likely than snakes. Diseases that jump species find the leap easier the more the two hosts have in common. Bats are closer relatives than snakes, therefore more likely.
	How do you tell if a politician is lying? His lips or pen are moving.