Host range of SARS-CoV-2 holds the clue for prediction of future outbreaks

The pandemic- COVID-19, has completed its one year since its inception from the seafood market of Wuhan, China. Till to date this has taken 2.75 million human lives all over the world. Scientists are working round the clock to come with an effective vaccine.

- Biswajit Panda

Till to date 13 number of vaccines have been approved/ authorized. So far the scientific studies suggest the virus, SARS-CoV-2(the cause of COVID19), likely had ancestors that originated in bats, followed by transmission to an intermediate host, and that both viruses may have an extended host range that includes primates and other mammals. Many mammalian species host coronaviruses and these infections are frequently associated with severe clinical diseases, such as respiratory and enteric disease in pigs and cattle. Additionally, Molecular phylogenetics revealed that at least one human coronavirus (HCov-OC43) may have originated in cattle or swine and that this virus was associated with a human pandemic that emerged in the late 19th century.

Recent data suggest that coronaviruses can be transmitted from bats to other wildlife species and humans, and from humans to tigers and pigs. Hence, understanding the host range of SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses is essential for improving our ability to predict and control future pandemics. It is also crucial for protecting populations of wildlife species in native habitats and under human care, particularly nonhuman primates, which may be susceptible to COVID-19.

An excellent study published in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America” in August, 2020 revealed some interesting findings that support the above paragraph.

How this SARS-CoV-2 starts its journey into cells?