Evolutionary aspects of the novel coronavirus in China
In an open paper published by Oxford Press’ National Science Review, WEI Xiaoman, LI Xiang and CUI Jie from the CAS Institut Pasteur and CAS Wuhan Institute of Virology draw the following conclusions, based on next-generation sequencing:
“The novel coronaviruses 2019-nCoV in Wuhan likely had a bat origin, but how the human-infecting viruses evolved from bats requires further study. The human-infecting virus may become more infectious but less virulent as it continues to (co-)evolve and adapt to human hosts. Since Wuhan is one of the largest inland transportation hubs in China and the city has been closed off, it is urgently necessary to step up molecular surveillance and restrict the movement of people in and out of the affected areas promptly, in addition to closing the seafood markets.”
https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaa009
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