New Data Links Pandemic’s Origins to Raccoon Dogs at Wuhan Market

NYT SCIENCE: New Data Links Pandemic’s Origins to Raccoon Dogs at Wuhan Market
By Benjamin Mueller
Section: Science
Source: New York Times
Published Date: March 16, 2023 at 02:00AM

Genetic samples from the market were recently uploaded to an international database and then removed after scientists asked China about them.

An international team of virus experts said on Thursday that they had found genetic data from a market in Wuhan, China, linking the coronavirus with raccoon dogs for sale there, adding evidence to the case that the worst pandemic in a century could have been ignited by an infected animal that was being dealt through the illegal wildlife trade.
The genetic data was drawn from swabs taken from in and around the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market starting in January 2020, shortly after the Chinese authorities had shut down the market because of suspicions that it was linked to the outbreak of a new virus. By then, the animals had been cleared out, but researchers swabbed walls, floors, metal cages and carts often used for transporting animal cages.
In samples that came back positive for the coronavirus, the international research team found genetic material belonging to animals, including large amounts that were a match for the raccoon dog, three scientists involved in the analysis said.

Read More at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/16/science/covid-wuhan-market-raccoon-dogs-lab-leak.html

Bonus Video

How wildlife trade is linked to coronavirus

23,185,441 views  Mar 6, 2020

And why the disease first appeared in China.

NOTE: As our expert Peter Li points out in the video, “The majority of the people in China do not eat wildlife animals. Those people who consume these wildlife animals are the rich and the powerful –a small minority.”  This video explains how the people of China are themselves victims of the conditions that led to coronavirus. The virus is affecting many different countries and cultures, and there is never justification for xenophobia or racism.

You can find further reading on this on Vox:  

https://www.vox.com/2020/2/7/21126758...

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politi...

https://www.vox.com/identities/2020/3...

As of early March 2020, a new coronavirus, called COVID-19, is in more than 70 countries and has killed more than 3,100 people, the vast majority in China. That's where the virus emerged back in December 2019. This isn't a new phenomenon for China; in 2003, the SARS virus also emerged there, and under similar circumstances, before spreading around the world and killing nearly 800.

Both SARS and COVID-19 are in the "coronavirus" family, and both appear to have emerged from animals in China's notorious wildlife markets. Experts had long predicted that these markets, known to be potential sources of disease, would enable another outbreak. The markets, and the wildlife trade that supports them, are the underlying problem of these pandemics; until China solves that problem, more are likely to emerge. 

Follow our reporting on coronavirus on vox.com: 

Our updated guide to Covid-19: http://bit.ly/3cGvqpU

11 questions about the coronavirus outbreak, answered: http://bit.ly/3cHFSgT

Why washing your hands is so important: http://bit.ly/39vOaGy

Watch our Netflix episode "The next pandemic, explained" https://www.netflix.com/watch/81062202

Further reading:

Peter Li: https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/...

Peter Daszak, EcoAlliance: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/sc...

WildAid: https://wildaid.org/chinese-citizens-...

On the animal source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d4158...

Support Vox by joining the Video Lab at http://vox.com/join or making a one-time contribution here: http://vox.com/contribute

Note: The headline has been updated.

Previous headline: Why new diseases keep appearing in China

Note: A previous version of this video incorrectly colored Crimea as part of Russia on the map. While it has been occupied by Russian forces since 2014, it is still legally a territory of Ukraine. We've corrected the error. 

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