Gallery
- Karnataka rain fury: Photos of flooded streets, uprooted treesCannes 2022: Deepika Padukone stuns at the French Riviera in Sabyasachi outfitRanbir Kapoor And Alia Bhatt's Wedding Pics - Sealed With A KissOscars 2022: Every Academy Award WinnerShane Warne (1969-2022): Australian cricket legend's life in picturesPhotos: What Russia's invasion of Ukraine looks like on the groundLata Mangeshkar (1929-2022): A pictorial tribute to the 'Nightingale of India'PM Modi unveils 216-feet tall Statue of Equality in Hyderabad (PHOTOS)Wedding pics: Mouni Roy marries Suraj Nambiar in South Indian ceremony73rd Republic Day Parade 2022 - In Pictures
Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia has been provisionally suspended by the National An
- Laureus Award 2024 : Novak Djokovic, Aitana Bonmati win top honours at Laureus Sports Awards
- Asian Games medallist Jyothi Yarraji to train in Spain ahead of Paris Olympics
- Lione Messi said Retirement not on my mind
- Indian Wells: Alcaraz, Swiatek win titles
- African footballer chased and thrashed away in Kerala; reports
Cats, dogs most susceptible to Covid after humans: Study Last Updated : 11 Dec 2020 02:29:09 PM IST Cat Humans, followed by ferrets and to a lesser extent cats, civets and dogs are the most susceptible animals to SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus behind the Covid-19 disease, say researchers.
The study, published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology, found that ducks, rats, mice, pigs and chickens had lower or no susceptibility to infection compared to humans."Knowing which animals are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 helps us prevent building up animal reservoirs from which the coronavirus can re-emerge at a later date," said study author Luis Serrano from the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Spain."Our findings offer a clue for why minks - which are closely related to the ferret - are being infected by the disease, which is probably made worse by their packed living conditions and close contact with human workers," Serrano added.Ten species were studied in this paper. Five species - humans, cats, ferrets, civets, and dogs - have had documented cases of infection by SARS-CoV-2. There are no reports of infection in the other five species - mice, rats, pigs, chickens and ducks.The researchers used computer modelling to test how the coronavirus uses its spike proteins, which protrude from the surface of the virus, to infiltrate the cells of different animals.The main point of entry on a cell's surface is the ACE2 receptor, which binds with the spike protein through a lock-and-key mechanism. There are many different variants of ACE2 within human populations and across different species.Variants of the ACE2 receptor in humans followed by ferrets, cats, dogs and civets have the highest binding affinities to the viral spike protein, while mice, rats, chicken and ducks have poor binding energy.However, binding affinity is not enough on its own to gage a cell's susceptibility to infection.The researchers also tested the different species' 'codon adaptation index' - which is how efficient the coronavirus is at commandeering a cell's machinery once it has entered.The more efficient the process, the better the coronavirus can create the proteins it needs to replicate. Humans, chickens and ducks have the highest codon adaptation index, while the other species are worse adapted.Considering both binding affinity and the codon adaptation index, the researchers conclude that humans, followed by ferrets, cats, civets and dogs are the most susceptible animals to infection by coronavirus.IANS London For Latest Updates Please-
Join us on
Follow us on
172.31.16.186