Covid-19 was most likely spread by sneezing hamsters in HK
Key takeaways:
- A new study claims that imported pet hamsters carried the Delta variant of coronavirus into Hong Kong, causing a human outbreak.
- According to the study, more than half of Syrian hamsters in pet shops and warehouses tested positive for Sars-CoV-2 infection.
According to a new study, imported pet hamsters likely carried the Delta variant of coronavirus into Hong Kong, causing an outbreak among humans. Researchers from the University of Hong Kong and govt officials conducted a genomic analysis of viral samples from the rodents to confirm the fear that a pet shop caused the Covid-19 outbreak.
The only other animal known to be capable of infecting humans is the hamster. Whereas the transmission of Sars-CoV-2 from humans to other mammals has been documented, there was no previous evidence of these animals infecting humans, apart from farmed mink.
Animals in the store and the warehouse that supplied it was tested for evidence of Sars-CoV-2 infection after a pet store worker tested positive for Covid-19.
RT-PCR and serological assays were used to test viral swabs and blood samples from pet animals, respectively. Full genome sequencing was used to investigate the positive samples from the RT-PCR test. The researchers discovered that the virus could spread through hamsters and cause human infections.
"Both genetic and epidemiological findings strongly suggest that two independent hamster-to-human transmission events occurred and that such events can result in human transmission." The study concluded that "the most likely source of virus infection was the importation of infected hamsters."
As per the study, more than half of Syrian hamsters tested positive for Sars-CoV-2 infection in pet shops and warehouses. The virus was not found in dwarf hamsters, rabbits, Guinea pigs, chinchillas, or mice.
The viral genomes discovered in human and hamster cases did belong to the Delta variant of concern, which had not been circulating locally before the outbreak.
The sequences were similar but distinct, according to the researchers.
"The hamster viral genomes are phylogenetically related with some sequence heterogeneity, as well as phylogenetic dating suggests infection in these hamsters occurred around November 21, 2021." "Two separate human transmission events have been documented, one of which led to further household spread," the report stated.
The Hong Kong study is still in pre-print and has not been peer-reviewed.