Scientists establish coronavirus orginated through natural processes

The novel coronavirus which has caused a global crisis all over the world was a product of natural evolution, said a study, ending the speculations of deliberate genetic engineering. According to the findings published in the journal Nature Medicine, no evidence of the engineered and laboratory-made virus was found after analysing public genome sequence data from SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses.

“By comparing the available genome sequence data for known coronavirus strains, we can firmly determine that SARS-CoV-2 originated through natural processes,” said Kristian Andersen, an associate professor at Scripps Research and corresponding author on the paper.

Analysing the possible origin of the virus, Andersen and his collaborators narrowed it down to two possible scenarios. In the first scenario, the virus evolved to its current pathogenic state through natural selection in a non-human host and then jumped to humans. According to the researchers, bats are the most likely reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 as it is very similar to a bat coronavirus.

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Intermediate host

It suggested that an intermediate host was likely involved between bats and humans as there are no documented cases of direct bat-human transmission. In this case, the current epidemic would probably have emerged rapidly as soon as humans were infected, as the virus would have already evolved the features that make it pathogenic and able to spread between people. In the second scenario, a non-pathogenic version of the virus jumped from an animal host into humans and then evolved to its current pathogenic state within the human population. 

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According to the latest report, over two lakh confirmed cases of coronavirus have been found with death toll approaching 9,000. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged countries to isolate, test, treat and trace otherwise transmission chains can continue at a low level, then resurge once physical distancing measures are lifted. "Most countries with sporadic cases or clusters of cases are still in the position to do this," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press conference.

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