"Omicron Originated from Mice... Infection via 'Human-Mouse-Human' Route," Chinese Study Reports
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A claim that the COVID-19 variant virus Omicron originated from mice has drawn attention.
On the 4th, according to the Hong Kong media South China Morning Post (SCMP), researchers from Nankai University in Tianjin, China, and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated that it is highly likely that COVID-19 was transmitted from humans to mice, underwent multiple mutations, and then was transmitted back to humans.
According to a paper published by the research team in the Journal of Biosafety and Biosecurity, five mutations of Omicron were found to be identical to those detected in lung samples from mice. The researchers explained that after examining all variants of concern and variants of interest confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the mutations present in Omicron were rarely found in clinical samples from previous confirmed patients.
So far, the exact origin of Omicron remains unknown. There are three main hypotheses regarding the origin of Omicron. The first is that the virus mutated inside the body of a person with a compromised immune system or weakened immunity.
The second hypothesis is that the variant virus emerged among COVID-19 confirmed patients. The third is that animals were infected by humans, underwent numerous mutations, and then infected humans again.
While the Chinese researchers did not rule out the possibility that Omicron mutations progressed in immunodeficient individuals, they emphasized that the possibility of mutation through a mouse host is greater and urged more caution regarding animal infections.
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Meanwhile, animals that have been infected with COVID-19 so far include dogs, cats, minks, and hamsters. Hong Kong authorities determined that hamsters infected with COVID-19 transmitted the virus to humans and culled 2,000 hamsters.
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