The explosion of a newly identified coronavirus led to the deaths of nearly 25,000 piglets between 2016-2017 in China and experts have linked the deadly virus to horseshoe bats.
While the virus does not appear to infect people, it has been devastating to swine herds. In turn, the researchers — from the EcoHealth Alliance, Duke-NUS Medical School, Wuhan Institute of Virology and other organizations — noted that identifying the source of the virus is a critical method of reducing global health threats. The research was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Additionally, in identifying this coronavirus’s source as the horseshoe bat, researchers have linked it to another virus better known to humans: SARS. SARS, which emerged in 2002 from the same bat species, infected more than 8,000 people and, at the time, had sparked pandemic fears.
Researchers note that separating sick sows and piglets from the rest of their herds on four farms in Guangdong Province helped stop the SADS-CoV outbreak by May 2017. They followed through by identifying the virus in the small intestine of infected piglets. They then pursued its genetic sequence through to similar bat coronaviruses, and in turn, through bat specimens collected between 2013 and 2016 in the area. They also tested farm workers who handled the sick pigs to be sure it did not cross over.
The study was published in the journal Nature.