Michael Novakhov – SharedNewsLinks℠: 6:36 AM 6/23/2020 – Wildlife trade amplifies spread of coronaviruses, two studies find | Six known coronaviruses found in wildlife in Vietnam

Asias booming wildlife trade is fuelling the spread of coronaviruses by providing the ideal opportunity for animals to infect each other and potentially humans, two studies have found.
Across Asia, wild animals including rodents, pangolins and bats are transported, often illegally, thousands of miles in crowded and chaotic conditions for use in restaurants and traditional medicines.
Experts have long thought this amplifies the transmission of coronaviruses, making the possibility of a jump to humans more likely.
In one new study, published as a preprint without peer review, researchers analysed oral swabs from more than 2,000 field rats in three provinces in southern Vietnam. They found that the animals smuggled across the Mekong River Delta, from traders to restaurants, tested positive for six different coronaviruses. More significantly, the incidence of infection increased significantly along their journey.