Corona19 virus, it's really jingle. This time, even the tigers were overwhelmed by how unsatisfied they were to bother humanity. Earlier in Hong Kong and Belgium, dogs and cats were infected with Corona 19, and even tigers were confirmed . The protagonist (?) Is 'Nadia', a 4 year old male male tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York, USA. Nadia, who had symptoms of dry cough at the end of last month, was finally tested for corona19 on the 2nd. The brave 'King of Animals' tiger's face also became nonsense.

In addition to companion animals, wild animals are also infected with Corona 19, and voices are worried about the spread of Corona 19 through animals. "Are other animals also infected with Corona 19?", "Are animals going to bring Corona 19 back to humans anyway? " Before being a journalist, as a veterinarian (doctor of veterinary medicine), I was also the most curious about this, and I was also concerned.
If you're keen on speaking from the conclusion, you don't have to worry much. 'It is currently unlikely that animals will be infected with Corona 19 and die collectively or spread viruses.' That was the opinion of most experts.

Author: Dr. Dae-Sup Song, Professor of Pharmacy at Korea University (Ph.D. in Veterinary Medicine), authority on the field of "virus transmission between animals." There is a theory that cats and animals are relatively vulnerable to coronavirus infection. It is unlikely that companion / industrial animals will become the middle host of Corona 19. Although it is not possible to say that the probability is 0% in mathematics, it is statistically '0' because various situations have to fit together in a complex and organic way. Convergence. "

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) also reported in the tiger 'Nadia' corona19 infection case report that "at present, there is no evidence that any animal, including pets or domestic animals, can spread the corona19 virus to humans." Said officially. (At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that any animals, including pets or livestock, can spread COVID-19 infection to people.- ※ U.S. Department of Agriculture report homepage https://bit.ly/34yLx54)

● The key is 'virus affinity'

Before I explain about the other animals, let's start with the Nadia tiger case I mentioned earlier. How did he become infected with Corona 19 even a zoo tiger? As with dog and cat corona19 infections, it seems very likely that the onset of this infection will eventually be 'people'. U.S. defense officials have tentatively concluded that corona19-infected zookeepers spread the virus to tigers . "I think the virus has spread from zookeepers," said Paul Calais Bronx Zoo Chief Veterinarian. "That's the only possible explanation."

Nadia is infected with a virus by a zookeeper infected with Corona19, but exposure to the virus does not mean that all animals are infected with the virus. Some animals are infected with only a small amount of exposure to the virus, while others may not be infected by forcing them into the virus. This is similar to how people have different intimacy depending on nationality, race, language, place of residence, culture, habits, workplace, and academic level. To put it in poetic terms, it is "Case by Case" according to "Chemistry."

In this regard, the tiger and corona19 virus may be considered molecularly and biologically so-called 'chemies'. To help understanding, the term 'chemy' is used, but experts describe this phenomenon in terms of 'viral tropism' . It literally means that the virus sees 'how close' it is to the host.

● Possible corona19 infection, 'Cat> Dog'

In terms of this 'virus affinity', it is known that cats and animals, including tigers, are more likely to be infected with the Corona19 virus than other animals. The world's scientific journal, Nature , also analyzed, "The Corona19 virus can infect cats better than dogs."
Why do experts think cats are more likely to be infected with corona19 than other animals? The rationale can be found in ' Past Cases '. Let's go back to 2002, when SARS, a severe acute respiratory syndrome, has emerged. The SARS that the coronavirus possessed by the bats passed over to the humans through the musk cat .

In other words, a mutation occurred when the coronavirus in the bat's body passed over to the musk cat, and the pandemic began when the cook who cooked the musk cat reinfected with the virus. 'Bat → Musk cat → People' is a cycle like this.
However, as it was known, the SARS virus and the Corona 19 virus were identified as genetically very similar cousins. Just as the SARS virus has infected musk cats, it can be inferred that the corona19 virus is likely to infect cats and animals . (Of course, musk cats and cats and tigers are strictly different species, but they belong to the same feline-Feliformia and can be seen as relatives.)

Indeed, in the past SARS epidemic, Dutch and Hong Kong researchers forced cats to be infected with high doses of SARS virus isolated from humans. Not long ago, a similar experiment was conducted at the Harbin Veterinary Medicine Research Institute in China and published in the world-renowned journal Science . The virus was infected when a high dose of virus was forced through the cat's nose.

Kwang-Soo Yoo, a researcher at the Institute of Common Infectious Diseases, Chonbuk National University, said, "Expected by the genetic characteristics of the SARS and corona19 viruses, and cases of musk cat infections in the past, it was predicted by experts that cats and animals are relatively likely to be infected with corona19." I explained.

● 'Corona 19' infected cat, no clinical symptoms… Low propagation power

Then, what is the destructive power and propagation power of the corona19 virus in cats and animals? So far, when looking at research, it has been a common opinion of academia that "it is not a concern".

One of the important reasons that scholars judge so is that cats infected with the virus have shown little clinical symptoms . Professor Jin-gyu Park, professor of veterinary medicine at Kyungpook National University, said, "The fact that the clinical symptoms were not severe indicates that the virus in the cat's body was not actively replicating. If the virus was actively replicating and multiplying, the cat, like humans, has a strong propagation power along with clinical symptoms. "It's very likely that they did not appear in cats, but fortunately it can be interpreted that virus replication and multiplication are not as active in humans ."
Of course, it is also difficult to rule out the possibility that a cat infected with a cat releases and spreads the virus without showing clinical symptoms. Nevertheless, Sungkyunkwan Choi, senior researcher at DGIST (Ph.D. in Veterinary Medicine) said, "Asymptomatic infection, the amount of virus released is absolutely small, and the combat power of the released virus is also low. This is the general opinion of academia. "

Linda Fife, a professor of veterinary medicine at Ohio University in the United States, shared the opinion. "Experimental studies of cats infected with coronaviruses have been done in a very experimental situation in which high doses of viruses are forced into cats. I don't think there is any chance that cats will be so strongly infected in daily life. Even though I had lived with other normal cats for a while, only one out of three was infected. This means that the virus's ability to spread is not very high among cats (This suggests the virus may not be highly transmissible in cats.). " Analysis.

In conclusion, a cat may be infected with the Corona19 virus, but it may be interpreted as saying, 'It is unlikely that a cat has symptoms of a viral infection or even further spreads it to humans.'
● What is the likelihood of corona19 infection in other animals?

So what is the likelihood that animals other than cats will be infected with the Corona19 virus? The Harbin Veterinary Medicine Research Center in China and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in China conducted experiments to forcibly infect high concentrations of Corona19 virus against dogs, pigs, chickens, ducks, etc. that are frequently encountered around us. We also closely examined the symptoms of infected animals and the presence of viruses in each tissue.

As a result, only two out of five dogs forced to infected with the Corona19 virus detected viral genes in their feces. However, no infectious virus particles were detected in any other body parts of the dog. It is considered that dogs are more difficult to catch corona19 than cats.

In addition, pigs, chickens and ducks were not detected with RNA particles even after being infected with high concentration virus, and no pathological reactions occurred. In fact, it is a result that can be judged not to be infected with corona19. Han Ji-eun, professor of veterinary medicine at Kyungpook National University, said, "When a virus enters an animal's body, it must eventually bind to a cell-receptor to proliferate and propagate. However, the fact that the gene was not detected in these animals is the Corona 19 virus and the cells of these animals. "The receptors don't fit together, so we have to see the infection not working properly."

(※ Instead, Ferret , a mammal of the weasel family among animals, was found to have high infectivity against corona 19 and clinical symptoms were very similar to that of humans. For this reason, the researchers suggested that ferrets are suitable for the study of corona 19. In fact, Choi Young-ki, a professor of medical science at Chungbuk National University, who succeeded in `` the world's first verification of corona19 proliferation and propagation process, '' also used ferrets as experimental animals to announce outstanding research results.

● The important thing is the propagation between 'people and people' ... Stick to the basics

Corona19 infection eventually results in humans . Dirk Pfeiffer, Professor of Hong Kong City University's Department of Infection and Public Health, said, "The most important thing in controlling Corona19 infection is undoubtedly the risk of spreading from person to person. We should focus on controlling it." I advised. This means that the transmission of corona19 from person to person is much more powerful and dangerous.

However, as it has been confirmed that the corona19 virus can pass on some animals, corona19 confirmers need to be careful when dealing with animals. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommended that "Corona19 infected people should be restricted from contact, such as avoiding pets and avoiding food."

After all, the path we need to take is very simple for the well-being of people, animals, and even the entire ecosystem. It is to keep the 'social distance' well, to wear a mask well, and to practice personal hygiene such as washing your hands frequently. At the same time, it is also important for corona19 confirmed patients or those in high-risk groups to follow basic rules, such as reducing contact with animals as much as possible.

The world we will face after Corona19 will surely be new, strange and dangerous. However, the weapons to fight against it will be old, traditional and familiar things like 'basic rules' and 'common sense', 'consideration' and 'patience'.

Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude and respect to everyone who fights against the virus even at this moment. Also, with the 'Corona 19', I would like to express my sincere consolation and encouragement to all who suffer physical, mental, economic, and social pain. We will be able to overcome this difficult fight well and well in the near future.