Pangolins may be intermediate hosts of novel coronavirus: researchers

A group of researchers from South China Agricultural University and Lingnan Guangdong Laboratory of Modern Agriculture announced on Friday that they have made a breakthrough in tracing potential intermediate hosts of the novel coronavirus. 

After analyzing over 1,000 metagenome samples, the researchers identified pangolins as a potential intermediate host of the virus. Through molecular biological detection, the researchers found out that the positive rate of the β coronavirus in pangolins is 70 percent.

Researchers then conducted viral isolation and identification. The results of the analysis of genome of the virus showed that the sequences of the isolated virus strains were 99 percent similar to those currently infecting humans. 

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Pangolins may be intermediate hosts of novel coronavirus: researchers