SARS and the Masked Palm Civet
Monday, May 26, 2003
On Friday, May 23, 2003 researchers in Hong Kong had traced the SARS disease to the masked palm civet (Paguma larvata). SARS is a coronavirus, a group of viruses that are usually species-specific and can cause a wide variety of respiratory, and sometimes gastroenteric, symptoms in mammals and birds. The coronavirus is most commonly transmitted from one animal to another by inhaling infected material, either from coughing or sneezing, and sometimes through contact with infected feces.
SARS antibodies were found in the civet, which is considered a delicacy in China. It is very likely that the animals transmitted the disease to humans who handled the carcasses before cooking them. However, the World Health Organization is unsure of whether the civets gave the virus to humans or the humans gave the virus to the civets. It is just as likely that the civets inhaled the virus from contaminated human feces. In any case, the similarities between the SARS coronavirus in civets and humans is nearly 100%.
Go to these newssites for more information:
For more news links, look through these two sites with lists of relevant links: