Potential outbreak-causing dangerous viruses found in China’s fur animals
coronaviruses and influenza, are harbored in raccoon dogs, mink and other animals farmed for fur in China, scientists found in the first in-depth investigation of the seldom-studied critters.
Researchers scoured for viruses in the lungs, intestines and other tissues of 461 individual fur animals that were found dead due to disease across China. They identified 125 virus species, including 36 that were novel and 39 at potentially-high risk of crossing the species barrier, including spilling over to infect humans.
Raccoon dogs and mink, valued for their soft pelts, carried the highest number of potentially dangerous viruses, according to the research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
“Asia is one of the most active regions for fur-animal farming and trading,” the authors, led by Shuo Su at Shanghai’s Fudan University, wrote. “Despite this, little is known about the viruses that circulate in fur animals in this region.”
Virus-related research on farm animals has focused disproportionately on conventional livestock, like pigs. However, fur animals are raised in many countries to supply a market worth over $15 billion. China dominates the trade, accounting for over 80% of global fur production, with pelts from around 27 million animals turned into high-end garments in 2021.
Notably, 19 potentially high-risk viruses were detected in the northeastern province of Shandong, which contains many fur animal farms. The findings revealed potential virus transmission between farmed animals and wild animals, and from
