Cats Likely Source of SARS, Say Researchers (Chinese delicacy likely source of deadly virus)

VOA News ^ | 5/23/03 | Katherine Maria

[ppaul]

A Hong Kong researcher says a wild animal considered a dining delicacy is the carrier of a virus that causes SARS. The finding fits earlier speculation that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome originated in wild animals.

Hong Kong University revealed Friday that the civet cat, a wild animal indigenous to southern China, is the likely source of the virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

Dr. K.Y. Yuen said researchers at the Shenzhen Center of Disease Control found four strains of the virus in a large percentage of civet cats. "From a special type of civet cat, we are able to isolate the coronavirus," he said, "and this coronavirus on genomic analysis was found to be very similar to the coronavirus causing SARS in humans. But if you cannot control the further jumping of such virus from animals to human, the same epidemic can occur again."

The civet, a small long mammal with short legs and a pointed snout, is a delicacy in southern Chinese cuisine. Dr. Yuen says the disease likely jumped from animal to human when it was being killed or prepared for cooking.

But the cats themselves do not display any signs of illness, according to Dr. Yuen, perhaps indicating their immune system might be geared toward controling the virus. Dr. Yuen said the finding might not lead to a vaccine or cure for SARS in humans, but he urged people in China to stop selling the animals in food markets to limit possible transmission of the virus.

In a separate development, the World Health Organization on Friday lifted its travel advisory on Hong Kong and the Chinese province of Guangdong. Hong Kong's leader Tung Chee-hwa welcomed the decision.

The advisory went into effect on April 2, when the WHO saw the disease spreading rapidly through Hong Kong, and no one knew why or how. Airlines, hotels and restaurants suffered huge losses, as tourists and business travelers deferred visits to the region and Hong Kong residents stayed home.

Detected in southern China last November, SARS started spreading in Hong Kong in early March. It was then carried to other cities around the world by airline travelers. The disease, which causes a potentially deadly pneumonia, has afflicted more than 8,000 people worldwide with almost 90 percent of cases occurring in China and Hong Kong. Globally, SARS has killed more than 700 people.

[Xphantasos]

HEY - that doesn't taste like chicken to me..!!!

[Saundra Duffy]

My two cats are precious to me.

[tallhappy]

Exactly.

The full genome of the viruses in these cats needs to be sequenced and compared with the Sars isolate genomes already determined.

[BibChr]

Dr. Yuen says the disease likely jumped from animal to human when it was being killed or prepared for cooking.

*** IN-BAD-TASTE WARNING in 3... 2... 1....

So then... what is the proper serving temperature for cats?

Sorry! Sorry! Just a joke! I love cats! They're so yummy and....

Ack! Sorry! That was a joke too! Somebody STOP me....

Dan

[yonif]

Another virus coming from a mamel. Just great.

[yonif]

[yonif]

[Chemist_Geek]

Poodle Hat! :-)

[rintense]

If it's the documentary that I saw on HBO, they (the Chinese) are indeed barbaric and sick. They dip LIVE cats in boiling oil to burn off their fur, then take them out. The cats are still alive at this point, and screaming in pain. Then, they take a club and beat their heads in.

I saw it, I saw it all. And I got physically sick and angry at the same time.

[downwithterrorism]

i love my kitty....this is the cats' revenge for eating them ....good kitties!!!

[GalaxieFiveHundred]

ACK, PHFFFFT!

[cake_crumb]

"The researchers said it was possible that animals got SARS from human feces used in fertilizer, and the illness did not originate with them."

Yummy. Perhaps the UN will reward China by having it head the WHO...

[jlogajan]

[NautiNurse]

[browardchad]

I noticed that, but I was too nauseous thinking about it to post it...they certainly have enlightened farming methods in China.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

This is as nuts as AIDS from a monkey.

Both viruses came from an animal, all right...the upright, two-legged kind.

[lib-r-teri-ann]

The civet is NOT a house cat, you're mixing up the word cat with "house cat". Civets are referred to as cats here in the same sense that you would refer to a lion or tiger as a cat. This is a wild animal, not your domestic tabby.

[lib-r-teri-ann]

Thanks, I know the Chinese do this but I was trying to forget. It's almost impossible for me to maintain any sort of calm when I hear about things like this. That the Chinese are cruel and barbaric people has been a stereotype for so long that it maddens me that people would deny it or try to describe them as a great "civilization" or "superpower". More like evil empire. What on earth is the point of nations like China?

[rwfromkansas]

My dog can roll in his poop in the grass all day and I still prefer dogs to cats.

[rwfromkansas]

And btw, I know that 'cat' in this case is not referring to the pets, but a wild cat like a puma etc.