A team of infectious disease researchers has warned of the danger posed by two emerging viruses of animal origin.
The researchers stressed that influenza D virus and canine coronavirus could pose a global health threat if weak monitoring and diagnosis continue, potentially creating conditions for their widespread transmission among humans.
The study explained that these two viruses possess characteristics that enable them to evolve rapidly and cause epidemic outbreaks, given the limited efforts made to monitor and prevent them.
Co-author Dr. John Lednicki of the University of Florida stated that a review of published research showed the two viruses pose a direct threat to the human respiratory system, adding that the scientific and preventative response to them remains limited. He pointed out that their ability to easily spread between people could lead to epidemics or pandemics, given the lack of herd immunity against them.
The study revealed that the influenza D virus, discovered in 2011, was initially linked to infections in pigs and cattle before being detected in other wild and domestic animals, such as deer, giraffes, kangaroos, and poultry. This virus is believed to contribute to respiratory illnesses in cattle, costing the U.S. livestock industry an estimated $1 billion annually.
Previous research conducted on livestock workers in Colorado and Florida revealed that approximately 97% of them carried antibodies to the virus, indicating exposure without showing any obvious symptoms. Researchers emphasize the virus's high capacity for mutation, particularly after the detection of a strain in China capable of human-to-human transmission.
Regarding canine coronavirus, researchers noted that there have been limited human infections, but no routine testing for it makes the true extent of its spread unknown.
Lednicky explained that this lack of diagnosis may lead to an underestimation of its severity.
Canine coronavirus usually causes intestinal disease in dogs and is different from the virus that causes COVID-19, but rare cases in Southeast Asia have linked it to serious human infections and pneumonia requiring hospitalization.
In 2021, a team from the University of Florida isolated a strain of this virus from a member of the medical staff returning from Haiti, and named it HuCCoV_Z19Haiti. That same year, researchers from the University of Texas announced the discovery of another strain, CCoV-HuPn-2018, in a child in Malaysia, which was almost identical to the first strain.
Since then, this strain has been detected in Thailand, Vietnam and the US state of Arkansas, confirming its ability to spread across continents.
The researchers emphasized that these developments recall the lessons of past pandemics, stressing that a lack of preparedness could allow emerging viruses to mutate into widespread outbreaks. They called for strengthening health surveillance systems, developing diagnostic tools, and accelerating research efforts to produce potential treatments and vaccines.
The study concluded by emphasizing that current knowledge of the epidemiology of these viruses and their clinical symptoms remains limited, but the available data indicates that they represent a real threat to public health.
The study was published in the journal "Emerging Infectious Diseases".
