Chinese scientists have discovered eight never-before-seen viruses lurking on a tropical island and warned they could infect humans. Researchers tasked with preparing the world for a future pandemic took nearly 700 samples from rodents living in Hainan, off the southern coast of China.

In the project, funded by the Chinese government, Eight new viruses have been discovered, including one that belongs to the same family as Covid. Experts said the pathogens discovered had a “high probability” of infecting humans if they ever crossed the species barrier.

As a result, They called for more experiments on the viruses to determine exactly what their effects on humans might be. The findings were shared in the journal Virológica Sinica, the publishing arm of the Chinese Society of Microbiology (CSM).

CSM is affiliated with the state-affiliated China Science and Technology Association “accepts the administrative supervision” of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Chinese government.

The new study analyzed 682 anal and throat swabs collected from various rodents captured in Hainan between 2017 and 2021. These samples, which were classified based on specific rodent species and location on the island, were then sent to laboratories for testing. The analyzes revealed a number of “new” emerging viruses, including a new coronavirus that experts called CoV-HMU-1. CoV-HMU-1 turned out to be a betacoronavirus, a subgenus of the coronavirus to which Covid also belongs.

The scientists also found several pathogens new in other groups of viruses. These include two new pestiviruses, linked to yellow fever and dengue, a new astrovirus, a family of viruses that cause infections like stomach viruses, two new parvoviruses, which can cause flu-like symptoms, and two new papillomaviruses, a family of pathogens that cause can cause genital warts and cancer in humans.

They highlighted the discovery of the new pestiviruses and parvoviruses as they were found in Edwards’ giant long-tailed rat and in the Sikkim rat species. None of them had previously harbored this type of pathogen.

It is likely that other unknown viruses exist in similar parts of the world, the scientists added. “The results advance our knowledge of viral classification and host range and suggest that there are highly diverse, undiscovered viruses that have evolved independently in their unique wild hosts in inaccessible areas,” they said.

“The pathogenicity and associated impact of these new viruses in humans and animals should be evaluated in future studies.” The researchers stated that rodents carrying potential pathogens pose a major zoonotic threat.

This is because they are “widely distributed,” “have species diversity,” and “have great reproductive potential.” Moreover, they migrate in groups and concentrate in densely populated, humid and warm places such as central and southern China.

Scientists have repeatedly warned about this the next pandemic it can come from animals; climate change, habitat destruction and the sale of live wildlife are all factors that increase the risk.

Covid was originally thought to have come from an animal, probably a bat. However, a growing number of experts suspect this experiments conducted in Wuhan may have caused it to spread among people.

So-called ‘lab leak theory’ posits that Wuhan scientists were experimenting with Covid samples collected from the wild when the virus accidentally leakedthus infecting the citizens of the city and subsequently the world.

Although the theory has gained traction in the years since the first wave of cases, many scientists argue that this is most likely the case Covid arose naturally and was transmitted from animals to humans.

No concrete evidence has been found to support arguments about the origins of Covid, leading experts to fear that the truth behind the origins of the virus may never be discovered. (JO)