Undeterred by loss of countless lives across the world, China is now reportedly experimenting with a new Covid-like virus that has a “mortality rate of 100 per cent.”
Doctors trained by Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have made their version of “pangolin coronavirus” which has been found to have 100 per cent mortality in mice.
According to a report published in bioRxiv, a group of mice were administered with SARS-CoV-2-related pangolin coronavirus GX_P2V to test its effect. The shocking results indicate potential dangers and a risk of the virus spilling over onto humans.
A lab-made version of the pangolin coronavirus, called GX_P2V, was used in experiments on mice. The pangolin animal is known to carry a coronavirus variant, making it a subject of interest for the study.
The mice, when infected with GX_P2V, displayed severe symptoms, including rapid weight loss within five days after being infected, sluggishness, and their eyes went white.
All four mice subjected to the virus died within eight days of infection, revealing a rapid and fatal progression of the disease.
Through the research, it was also found that the virus had spread to the brain, eyes and lungs. Also, the virus had actually increased in the brain over the last two days of life.
“In the mice infected with live virus, the viral load in the lungs significantly decreased by day 6; both the viral RNA loads and viral titers in the brain samples were relatively low on day 3, but substantially increased by day 6. This finding suggested that severe brain infection during the later stages of infection may be the key cause of death in these mice,” the report said.
Notably, The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Fifth Medical Center, General Hospital of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, approved the animal experiment procedures.
Warning
The scientists conducting the experiments were surprised at the intensity of the virus’s impact on the mice.
The virus not only spread throughout the mice’s bodies but also reached critical organs such as the brain, eyes, and lungs.
The scientists issued a warning, suggesting a potential risk of the virus spilling over into humans. They stressed on the need for further investigation into the high pathogenicity mechanism of GX_P2V and its potential implications for human health.
Implications for human health
The study raises concerns about the possibility of GX_P2V affecting humans, as the experiments on mice indicated 100 per cent mortality. The scientists highlighted the severe brain infection observed during the later stages of the infection as a potential key cause of death. The researchers stressed the urgency of further investigations to understand the virus’s behavior and its potential impact on human health.
In fact, in response to these alarming findings, researchers plan to conduct additional tests using a live version of the virus from the wild, rather than relying on the lab-made variant. This approach aims to better simulate real-world conditions and assess the true potential threat posed by GX_P2V.
