“What we’re saying is that this cluster of viruses is a high risk,” Daszak said. The cave was discovered as part of the team’s efforts to track viruses similar to SARS in 2003, after the epidemic had struck, Daszak explained. Bats host a much higher number of zoonotic viruses than other mammals, many of which have caused human disease and outbreaks. A 2019 study warned that bats could cause the next coronavirus epidemic in China, due to their geographic proximity to several urban hotspots. This cave, for example, is located 60 kilometres from the city of Kunming in the Yunnan province of China.

Source: National Post February 06, 2020 17:21 UTC