Claims that the recent coronavirus outbreak originated from snakes have already come under dispute by other scientists. The mysterious virus was traced to snakes as the most likely host in research published by Chinese scientists. However, an article published in the journal Nature contested these findings. The article quotes other scientists to state that there was not enough evidence to show the hosts were any species other than birds or mammals. [1]
The original research, carried out by a team of microbiologists from Peking University, Beijing, used genetics to trace the most likely host. They came to the conclusion that it was most likely to be snakes. The current dispute is regarding this claim. Nature quotes multiple scientists to assert that the original research was insufficient.
Scientists are still attempting to trace the host for the coronavirus outbreak in China. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The contesting view is that such a genetic mutation will take time. So far, there has been no evidence to show that the new coronavirus can not just infect snakes but also use them as hosts. Such a host is most likely to be a mammal, stated the article asking for more research.
