Origins of covid-19 linked to raccoon dogs in Wuhan – WHO

Raccoon dogs are not directly implicated in the origin of covid-19, but the species is susceptible to the virus and newly-revealed molecular evidence shows the presence of the animal in the Wuhan market in January 2020. Picture: Andyworks/iStock

Newly-released data gathered from a Chinese seafood market suggests links between raccoon dogs and the origins of covid-19, the World Health Organization has said. 

Analysis of DNA found molecular evidence of raccoon dogs at the market in Wuhan, the city first impacted on a large scale by the virus.

WHO technical lead for covid-19, Maria Van Kerkhove, said: “What they were looking at is some molecular evidence of samples that were collected from the Huanan market in January 2020.

“What they presented was evidence that animals were sold at that market. That was suspected but they found molecular evidence of that. And also that some of the animals that were there are susceptible to SAR-CoV-2, and some of those animals were raccoon dogs.” 

Dr Van Kerkhove said other studies have shown that raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) are susceptible to the virus. Traces of DNA from other animals were also identified.

However, she said: “So we need to make clear that the virus has not been identified in an animal in the market, nor in animal samples from the market nor have we found the animals who infected humans.” 

Addressing a briefing, she said: “Right now there are several hypotheses that need to be examined including how the virus entered the human population, either from a bat, an intermediate host, or through the release, a breach in biosafety and biosecurity from a lab.” 

Dr Van Kerkhove stressed this covid-19 data should have been shared much earlier. 

The gene sequence data was temporarily uploaded to public scientific database GISAID. It was spotted by an evolutionary biologist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, Florence Débarre, and she reported it, according to Science.org. 

A WHO expert group, which earlier this week published a preliminary report on pandemic origins, met with the Chinese scientists and the international scientists who studied it. The full data-set is expected to be released.

WHO covid technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove emphasised that the virus has not been identified in an animal at the market in Wuhan. File picture

WHO emergency response lead Mike Ryan said this data is another piece in the jigsaw, but does not give the whole picture.

At the same briefing, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "Every piece of data relating to studying the origins of covid-19 needs to be shared with the international community immediately. 

“This data could have and should have been shared three years ago. We continue to call on China to be transparent in sharing data, and to conduct the necessary investigations and share the results.” 

Tedros also repeated his certainty the pandemic can be declared over this year.