Guest guest Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/6/24/features/ffexotic1 & sec\ =features ________________________ Tuesday, June 24, 2003 Tracking the source ALTHOUGH recent studies indicated that the coronavirus (CoV) that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is most probably of wildlife origin, more studies are needed to look at the wildlife population to conclude the initial findings. “It & #8217;s premature to say they are the source and we need to do more research to confirm it,” said Dr Hume Field, principal veterinary epidemiologist (emerging diseases) at the Animal Research Institute in Australia. Dr Field said that the research should be carried out not only in Guangdong, China, but also in other countries. He said it should at least be based on a regional context or on geographical distribution of the animals throughout the world. “The animals found in Guangdong may not be from Guangdong but from neighbouring places,” he said. He also said that there is a need to look into exotic animals in the market place. Although recent studies showed that the SARS CoV was found in the Himalayan palm civet and the raccoon dog, there is limited data regarding the role of animals in origin, transmission and reservoir of SARS CoV, said Dr Field, who presented a paper on The Role of Animals in the Transmission of SARS at the WHO Global Conference on SARS held in Kuala Lumpur last week. Available data suggested that early SARS cases were associated with animals in markets and SARS-like viruses were detected in apparently healthy animals in at least two wild animal species in one market place. Preliminary experimental studies in pigs and poultry suggested that these species were not likely to have played a role in the spread of SARS CoV, said Dr Field. The SARS CoV is genetically distinct from known CoV and several CoVs infect multiple host species. Studies in people working in markets show higher antibodies prevalence among market workers than the general population, he said. Can SARS be eradicated? “The CoV in humans is not exactly identical with what we found in the animals. If we eradicate it in the human population, will it reappear from the animal population? It is a problem if the virus found in humans is identical to the virus found in animals and we do not know if there is a chance of spread in this case but it could,” said Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, director-general of WHO. “We should not be complacent because we think that it is all over. In fact, as long as the virus is still there, it can spread. In the last 20 years, we have seen a new disease every year and we foresee more diseases will come,” he said. & #8211; By Loh Foon Fong <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.