Slack / Private Message Drop — page 74

[2020-06-11 21:26:05] [Kristian Andersen] > would you expect a clinically similar infection in an animal in nature if this had come out of a lab? Don't think one would have an expectation one way or the other - but interesting nonetheless. I find it peculiar that all these pangolins are showing up sick with all sorts of SARS-like CoVs though - I mean, these guys have been traded _forever_ and only now do we realize they have CoVs? Potentially a huge reservoir out there... which is scary. [2020-06-11 21:40:02] [Eddie Holmes] Agreed. No one gives a shit and now we are seeing loads of pangolins with frothy lungs. You couldn't make this up. [2020-06-11 21:47:42] [Eddie Holmes] Notable that HKU1 does have a furin cleavage site but NL63 doesn't. To me, this trait moves around so much in nature that we can't really say anything: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1866027/ [2020-06-11 21:49:37] [Eddie Holmes] And they weren't able to culture HKU1. [2020-06-11 22:48:46] [Eddie Holmes] Sorry to keep going, but HKU1 is really interesting in this context: (i) has an furin cleavage site (RRKRR) in the right spot; (ii) causes human and has spread (it turned up in Australia; (iii) betacoronavirus; (iv) closest relative is MHV but that is way distant. Could easily be out a bat or another mammal. No one suggested lab escape when this first appeared. [shared file(s): 1828-04.pdf] [2020-06-11 23:41:09] [Andrew Rambaut] This is interesting (can't find original research) https://www.fli.de/en/press/press-releases/press-singleview/novel-coronavirus-sars-cov-2-fruit-bats-and-ferrets-aresusceptible-pigs-and-chickens-are-not/ Shows infection in Rousettus fruit bats (i.e., where HKU9 was found). [2020-06-12 00:49:06] [Eddie Holmes] Yes, good spot about Rousettus. [2020-06-12 02:04:30] [Andrew Rambaut] Someone posted it I think trying to make the point that SARS-CoV-2 doesn't transmit in fruit bats thus Bill must be wrong. [2020-06-12 05:22:17] [Robert Garry] The CoVs from the frothy pangolins are pretty diverse - multiple introductions, long time evolving or both? Or can't say? IOWS what is the Proximal Origin of Pangolin-SARS? [2020-06-12 05:22:40] [Robert Garry] Vey interesting about the fruit bats... [2020-06-12 12:38:49] [Kristian Andersen]