“Bushmeat” link to SARS outbreak confirmed
mongabay.com
November 23, 2006
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Chinese scientists say they have found a genetic link between SARS in civet cats, a racoon-like animal eaten as a delicacy in China, and humans.
Earlier research by scientists from Hong Kong University and the World Health Organization had found evidence of the virus in civet cages in a restaurant where people came down with SARS. The finding lead to a permanent ban on the sale and consumption of civet in Guangdong province.
The new research, conducted by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the Guangzhou Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, and Hong Kong University, found that the SARS coronavirus found ins is the same as the SARS coronavirus found in civet cats, according to Wang Ming, an official from the Guangzhou Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Wang said that the research proves that SARS jumped the species barrier from civets to humans.
This article used information from a Reuters report.
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