New type of Coronavirus that is often found in rodents identified in Sweden | The Weather Channel – Articles from The Weather Channel
Swedish researchers have identified a new coronavirus that is often found in red-backed voles – small, thick rodents that resemble field mice.
The study of about 260 bank vultures caught around Grimso in Örebro County in Sweden shows that the virus is well established in the red-backed vulture, says the team from Zoonosis Science Center at Uppsala University. Their discovery has been published in the journal Virus.
“Between 2015 and 2017, we consistently found what we have called the ‘Grimso virus’ in 3.4% of these vultures, which would indicate that the virus is widespread and common in Sweden’s bank vultures,” says Ake Lundkvist, professor of virology and head of the center. .
The team mapped zoonotic viruses to increase understanding of the interaction between viruses and host animals.
Unlike SARS-CoV and MERS coronaviruses that originate in bats, seasonal coronaviruses, such as HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1, appear to have spread to humans from rodents such as rats, mice and voles.
Using an RNA sequencing method, the team identified a new coronavirus known as the aGrimso Virus belonging to the beta coronavirus family, including SARS-CoV, MERS and SARS-CoV-2.
Rodents already carry several zoonotic microorganisms, such as Hantavirus and Tularemia, which play a crucial role in the spread of infectious diseases.
In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in infectious diseases that can be linked to small mammals, such as rodents, and research on the ecology of these host animals is an essential component in the work to prevent future outbreaks.
Banksorken (Myodes glareolus) is one of Europe’s most common rodents.
Previous studies have found several coronaviruses circulating among animals in countries such as the United Kingdom, Poland, France and Germany.
“We still do not know what potential threats the Grimso virus can pose to public health. But based on our observations and previous coronavirus identified among bank vultures, there are good reasons to continue monitoring the coronavirus among wild rodents,” says Lundkvist.
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