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Latest Infectious Disease News<\/h3>\n
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![\"News](\"https:\/\/media.healthday.com\/Images\/icimages\/OS18022.jpg\"\/)
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TUESDAY, Oct. 20, 2020<\/p>\n
A coronavirus strain that has plagued the swine industry in recent years may have the ability to spread to people, researchers say.<\/p>\n
Swine acute diarrhea<\/a> syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV) has infected swine herds throughout China since its discovery in 2016, according to a new report.<\/p>\n In lab tests, scientists at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill showed that SADS-CoV can replicate in human liver<\/a>, gut and airway<\/a> cells.<\/p>\n While in the same family as the betacoronavirus SARS<\/a>-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19<\/a> in people, SADS-CoV is an alphacoronavirus that causes gastrointestinal illness (severe diarrhea<\/a> and vomiting<\/a>) in swine. It’s especially deadly to young piglets.<\/p>\n SADS-CoV is also distinct from two common cold<\/a> alphacoronaviruses in humans, HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63, the study authors explained.<\/p>\n “While many investigators focus on the emergent potential of the betacoronaviruses like SARS<\/a> [severe acute respiratory syndrome<\/a>] and MERS<\/a> [Middle East respiratory syndrome<\/a>], actually the alphacoronaviruses may prove equally prominent — if not greater — concerns to human health, given their potential to rapidly jump between species,” study co-author Ralph Baric said in a UNC news release. He’s a professor of epidemiology at the university’s Gillings School of Global Public Health.<\/p>\n The COVID-19<\/a> pandemic is a powerful reminder that many coronavirus strains<\/a> that afflict animals have the potential to transfer to humans, the researchers noted.<\/p>\n According to study co-author Caitlin Edwards, “SADS-CoV is derived from bat coronaviruses called HKU2, which is a heterogenous group of viruses<\/a> with a worldwide distribution.” Edwards is a research specialist and master of public health student at UNC.<\/p>\n “It is impossible to predict if this virus, or a closely related HKU2 bat strain, could emerge and infect human populations,” Edwards added. “However, the broad host range of SADS-CoV, coupled with an ability to replicate in primary human lung and enteric [gastrointestinal] cells, demonstrates potential risk for future emergence events in human and animal populations.”<\/p>\n The findings were published online Oct. 12 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/i>.<\/p>\n — Robert Preidt<\/p>\n ![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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