Where Are We in Hunting for the Coronavirus’s Origin?: QuickTake was written by Jason Gale for the Washington Post just this year. He dives right in on the origin of the coronavirus that struck the world in late 2019 and hasn’t left, stating that similarly related viruses to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) were found near and around Wuhan in China. Gale gives plenty of possible theories on the deadly virus’s origin: contaminated wildlife sold at fresh food markets, an adapted intermediary host species that could better infect humans received and then spread the virus, escape of the virus from a nearby laboratory, or imported frozen food or packaging. He goings on, further explaining that the virus’s origin would be extremely difficult/near impossible to pinpoint as it bloomed and spread in a city of 11 million people. With not much evidence to go off of Gale states that this may end up like the origins of the AIDS pandemic. The origin, although not exact, was found three decades after the enormous spread of HIV in the early 1980’s.

     Further reading Gale’s Article, The World Health Organization (WHO) have been conducting research towards the origin of the virus, with still unreleased documentation from a four-week expedition to the city of Wuhan. Bats are considered the sole issue when it comes to the spread of COVID-19. We know that they must have spread it as they have been the culprit of two previous coronaviruses: severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome, known as SARS and MERS respectively. We still do not have direct evidence linking anything to the initial spread of the virus though, as some early cases had individuals who were linked to the markets in Wuhan and some saw others that were not. These cases could have been from the initial mass spread of the virus moving through and eventually out of the city. Genetic sequencing from multiple viral specimens showed that the virus had already begun diversifying, further suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 had already spread throughout the city. Scientists and researchers from the WHO have studied the sequence of SARS-CoV-2 say that it does not contain any genetic signatures nor show any sign of being a lab-engineered virus. What is most likely the cause of the outbreak is the trading of wild farmed animals that were prone to contracting coronavirus. All tests to seek the origin of the human cases of the virus have come back negative, so far.

     Features, Evaluation, and Treatment of Coronavirus (COVID-19) published by StatPearls and updated in 2021. This review article goes into a much deeper and extensive explanation on the virus as a whole, including but not limited to: transmission, epidemiology, pathophysiology, mechanisms, histopathology, history, laboratory examinations, imaging, treatment/management, therapies, prevention, vaccination, human trials, differential diagnosis, pertinent studies and ongoing trials, prognosis, patient education, and review questions. The article states that the data provided shines light on the origin of the virus but does not give conclusive evidence. Instead, only important information regarding the potential origin of the virus. What is known is that natural selection favored the transition to human-human transmission with evidence pointing to a particular spike protein in the virus’s genetic code.

     Both of these articles are related to genetics, as they both study the genetic properties and characteristics of the coronavirus and its infection with humans. In the first article it is mentioned that the virus was most likely not created in a lab as is lacked the signs of any genetic signature. In the second prestigious article the virus’s genetic code is mentioned in relation to its animal-to-human transition. The popular press information is definitely accurate, but not nearly as detailed as the review article found in StatPearls.

Citations:

Cascella M. et al. Features, Evaluation, and Treatment of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554776/ (2021)

Gale, J. Where Are We in Hunting for the Coronavirus’s Origin?: QuickTake.

Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/where-are-we-in-hunting-

for-the-coronaviruss-origin-quicktake/2021/03/23/482f9954-8b9a-11eb-a33e-

da28941cb9ac_story.html (2021)