Corona Virus: Animals have become the real reason for the spread.

Corona Virus has claimed at least 550 lives across the world and has become a threat to 28 countries affecting more than 20,000 people. It is believed that bats that were sold in the Wuhan markets were the likely source of this deadly virus but it has not been proven yet.

Recently researchers have found that deadly diseases like SARS and MERS were originated from bats. Bats were also responsible for Nipah and Ebola virus. The HIV/Aids crisis in the 1980s originated from great apes and Swine flu crisis in 2009 was from pigs.

How can viruses get transferred to Humans from Animals?

1. The virus’s genes undergo several mutations to alter the surface of the proteins which are found on the outer shell. This is done to allow the proteins to latch onto the cells of new species.
2. These altered proteins on the outer shell get attached to the new species respiratory tract.
3. Thus it spreads across the species body first affecting the respiratory tract.

Most of the viruses need an intermediate host before affecting humans. In the case of SARS, the virus first affected bats then civet cats before humans to gain the ability to affect a bigger species.

In the case of MERS, it was camels which served as the intermediate host.

Researchers are not sure from which animal coronavirus originated nor are they sure about whether it was passed through an intermediate host.

Corona Viruses may also have jumped directly from one animal to humans without passing or mutating through an intermediate host.