Where Did SARS-CoV-2 Come From?

Abstract Identifying the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of the current COVID-19 pandemic, may help us to avoid future epidemics of coronavirus and other zoonoses. Several theories about the zoonotic origin of SARS-CoV-2 have recently been proposed. Although Betacoronavirus found in Rhin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular Biology and Evolution 2020-09, Vol.37 (9), p.2463-2464
Main Authors: Leitner, Thomas, Kumar, Sudhir
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Betacoronavirus - classification
Betacoronavirus - genetics
Betacoronavirus - pathogenicity
Chiroptera - virology
Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology
Coronavirus Infections - transmission
Coronavirus Infections - virology
COVID-19
CpG Islands
Eutheria - virology
Evolution, Molecular
Gene Expression
Genome, Viral
Mutation
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology
Pneumonia, Viral - transmission
Pneumonia, Viral - virology
Reassortant Viruses - classification
Reassortant Viruses - genetics
Reassortant Viruses - pathogenicity
Recombination, Genetic
SARS-CoV-2
Viral Proteins - genetics
Viral Proteins - metabolism
Zoonoses - epidemiology
Zoonoses - transmission
Zoonoses - virology
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Summary:Abstract Identifying the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of the current COVID-19 pandemic, may help us to avoid future epidemics of coronavirus and other zoonoses. Several theories about the zoonotic origin of SARS-CoV-2 have recently been proposed. Although Betacoronavirus found in Rhinolophus bats from China have been broadly implicated, their genetic dissimilarity to SARS-CoV-2 is so high that they are highly unlikely to be its direct ancestors. Thus, an intermediary host is suspected to link bat to human coronaviruses. Based on genomic CpG dinucleotide patterns in different coronaviruses from different hosts, it was suggested that SARS-CoV-2 might have evolved in a canid gastrointestinal tract prior to transmission to humans. However, similar CpG patterns are now reported in coronaviruses from other hosts, including bats themselves and pangolins. Therefore, reduced genomic CpG alone is not a highly predictive biomarker, suggesting a need for additional biomarkers to reveal intermediate hosts or tissues. The hunt for the zoonotic origin of SARS-CoV-2 continues.
ISSN:0737-4038
1537-1719
DOI:10.1093/molbev/msaa162