A recent study from Beijing, not yet peer-reviewed, revealed alarming results involving a “lethal infection” of COVID-19 in mice. Published on BioRXiv, the study focused on two pangolin coronaviruses (GD/2019 and GX/2017), identified before the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers developed mutant strains, pCoV-GD01 and GX_P2V, in labs between 2017 and 2020, and tested their effects on golden hamsters and mice.
The study found that pCoV-GD01 was highly similar to COVID-19 and was able to infect these animals. However, it was the GX_P2V variant, particularly a mutated version named GX_P2v(short_3UTR), that proved most concerning. This strain not only infected mice with high viral loads in their lungs and brains but also led to a 100% mortality rate within eight days, despite vaccination efforts. Autopsies revealed viral RNA in multiple organs, including the brain and lungs, and a noticeable whitening of the eyes in mice before death.
The study claims this is the first instance of a COVID-19-related pangolin coronavirus causing such a high mortality rate in mice, raising significant concerns about the potential for human infection. However, since the study lacks peer review, many questions about its validity and implications remain unanswered.
Critics, including University College London’s Francois Balloux and Rutgers University’s Richard H. Ebright, have raised concerns about the study’s scientific value and biosafety precautions. Balloux criticized the study for its lack of clear purpose and potential risks, while Ebright echoed these concerns, particularly regarding biosafety practices.
The study’s findings come amid increasing apprehension about virus research and the development of potentially dangerous pathogens. The lack of transparency regarding biosafety levels and containment practices in such research adds to these concerns, especially considering the ongoing situation in China with new mysterious viruses and the return to lockdowns in some regions. This situation underscores the need for stringent safety measures and ethical considerations in infectious disease research.
