Tracing the Causes of the Wuhan Pneumonia

The novel coronavirus syndrome, known as Wuhan pneumonia, is rapidly spreading across the world. Ultimately, on January 31, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” However, more than a month after the disease was first reported, neither its original cause nor its route of transmission has been clearly identified. Based on the information known so far, the situation is as follows.

Leading scholars and public health authorities in China and other countries have pointed to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan as the epicenter. In name it was only a “seafood wholesale market,” but in reality it was also trading wild animals, not just seafood. A number of studies have identified snakes, bats, and mink sold in the market as likely wild animal hosts.

A research team at Peking University stated, “The results indicate that snakes are the most likely wildlife reservoir for 2019-nCoV,” the disease name for Wuhan pneumonia. The team further explained through RNA genome sequencing that “2019-nCoV is a recombinant virus between bat coronavirus and a coronavirus of unknown origin.” However, this research has faced considerable criticism. It is not certain whether snakes can be infected with coronaviruses, and transmission between reptiles and mammals is considered unlikely. On this basis, some studies have instead suggested that a mammal, rather than a snake, may be the source of 2019-nCoV.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that 2019-nCoV is very similar to a bat coronavirus. The researchers argued that because 2019-nCoV is phylogenetically most similar to bat coronavirus, it is highly likely that the pathogen originated in bats. The same research team also confirmed that when 2019-nCoV infects human cells, it uses human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a receptor, just as SARS-CoV, the disease name for SARS, does. This was an important clue for future therapeutic development. Unfortunately, however, there is still no vaccine even for SARS.

Another possibility is that the novel coronavirus infection was transmitted from bats to humans through mink. Jinchi, director of the Institute of Pathogen Biology under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, acknowledged that “many of the initial studies conducted so far have viewed bats as the origin” in relation to the outbreak source of the novel coronavirus, but added that “the intermediate host is still unclear.” He said, “When comparing the viral infection patterns of all vertebrate hosts, we found that mink show an infection pattern closer to that of the novel coronavirus,” while noting that “further confirmation is needed as to whether mink are the intermediate host.”

The animals traded in the market were either raised in unsanitary conditions or captured in the wild, making them highly likely carriers of pathogens. In fact, SARS and the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak began with the consumption of raw wild bats, and the 2019 plague also broke out after the consumption of raw marmot liver in Mongolia in May and wild rabbit in China in November. By slaughtering and distributing such animals in unsanitary conditions, the Wuhan market became an environment highly conducive to the transfer of bacteria and viruses or to mutation caused by their interaction. Accordingly, it is highly likely that people visiting the market were also placed in an environment where they were easily exposed to pathogens.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommend routine handwashing and disinfection, as well as refraining from touching the eyes, nose, and mouth. These are effective countermeasures at the individual level. Going further, from a broader macro perspective, it is urgently necessary for the Chinese authorities to implement sanitation controls in line with international standards in order to prevent a recurrence of this Wuhan pneumonia crisis, including SARS. This crisis is reminding the Chinese authorities of the importance of building sociocultural infrastructure beyond mere economic growth in scale.

Sijin Kim, President of LEAD, the Intercollegiate Law Society

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Original title: 우한 폐렴, 그 원인을 추적해본다

Author: Si-jin Kim

Date: 2020-02-03

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=press&pn=22&idx=22343