Exploring human-animal host interactions and emergence of COVID-19: evo- lutionary and ecological dynamics
Autor
Perveen, Nighat
Muzaffar, Sabir Bin
Al-Deeb, Mohammad Ali
Institución
Resumen
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that emerged in December 2019 had caused
substantial morbidity and mortality at the global level within few months. It affected economies,
stopped travel, and isolated individuals and populations around the world. Wildlife, especially
bats, serve as reservoirs of coronaviruses from which the variant Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged that causes COVID-19. In this review, we
describe the current knowledge on COVID-19 and the significance of wildlife hosts in its
emergence. Mammalian and avian coronaviruses have diverse host ranges with distinct lineages
of coronaviruses. Recombination and reassortments occur more frequently in mixed-animal
markets where diverse viral genotypes intermingle. Human coronaviruses have evolved through
gene gains and losses primarily in interfaces where wildlife and humans come in frequent contact.
There is a gap in our understanding of bats as reservoirs of coronaviruses and there is a
misconception that bats periodically transmit coronaviruses to humans. Future research should
investigate bat viral diversity and loads at interfaces between humans and bats. Furthermore, there
is an urgent need to evaluate viral strains circulating in mixed animal markets, where the
coronaviruses circulated before becoming adapted to humans. We propose and discuss a
management intervention plan for COVID-19 and raise questions on the suitability of current
containment plans. We anticipate that more virulent coronaviruses could emerge unless proper
measures are taken to limit interactions between diverse wildlife and humans in wild animal
markets.