Ugandan researchers discover traits of Coronavirus in bats and camels



A team of Ugandan scientists has discovered forms of coronavirus in the country’s bats and camels. The scientists from the Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine made the discovery after months of research.

According to the team, these forms of coronaviruses are however different from the virus behind the Covid-19 outbreak.

Prof Denis Byarugaba, who led the research said that a number of tests over the years revealed the coronavirus was common in species that live with people and emphasized on the need to look for these viruses in other animals

“We have analyzed 16,000 samples and seen a prevalence of coronaviruses at a prevalence of 0.6 percent,” he said.

According to Prof Byarugaba, during the current outbreak, they have screened 500 bats and following the tests, a mass of coronavirus was detected.

“Through collaboration with a partner, we were able to isolate mass coronaviruses from bats,” he said.

The scientists also conducted tests on camels from Karamoja with Byarugaba saying that “We specifically looked out for coronaviruses in camels. We screened 500 camels and found 70 percent positivity in our serological tests.”

According to Dr. Sylvia Baluka, another expert at the college, and president of the Uganda Veterinary Association (UVA), a lot of diseases that affect humans come from animals (zoonotic).

She says the government should avail more funds to strengthen research, monitoring, and regulation of veterinary products to prevent these diseases before they spread to people.

Photo courtesy / Google

Article by Jedidah Mwangi

https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Researchers-find-coronavirus-Ugandan-bats-camels/688334-5494462-view-asAMP-enism8/index.html

Comment