New type of coronavirus discovered in rats in Sweden

A group of researchers from the Center for Science and Zoonosis at Uppsala University in Sweden have discovered a new species. coronavirus When analyzing 450 rats caught at the Grimsö Wildlife Research Station in Örebro county. Infectious agents are from the betacoronavirus family, which is the same as Sars-CoV-2. Covid-19.

The results of the research conducted between 2015 and 2017 were published in the scientific journal. virus last week. Microorganism named Grimso virus by scientists was found in 3.4% of rodents (Myodes shiololus) are known as bank rats in Great Britain, where they are native.

A tragedy unprecedented in human history, the covid-19 pandemic is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2, whose original hosts were bats. This fact raised the question of researching the interface between wildlife diseases – zoonoses – and human health.

Coexistence between coronavirus and host animals

That’s why researchers at the Center for Science and Zoonosis routinely map zoonotic viruses. The aim is to expand knowledge about these microorganisms, develop methods that can limit the main outbreaks of the virus, and prevent transmission of infection from animals to humans.

Just as coronaviruses (CoVs) have high plasticity among bats, seasonal coronaviruses – HCoVs – can be transmitted to humans from rodents such as rats, mice and rats.

The conclusion of the study was that Grimsös’s are quite different embecoviruses and that Swedish bank rats are home to numerous strains of these viruses. Because the species lives in large parts of the continent, the researchers found that these coronavirus populations are widely distributed across Europe. Although it is not known that this virus poses a potential threat to human health, the authors recommend caution when dealing with rodents.

ARTICLE Viruses – DOI: 10.3390/v14061205.