[Thread] Pangolin CoV... or Bat CoV in pangolins samples?
TLDR: A researcher of the team that sequenced the pangolins samples had taken samples in the mine of RaTG13 and in the place where RmYN02 was collected, also catched bats in Yunnan. Probably contaminated pangolin samples

@Daoyu15 was the first to note that the raw sequence reads of the pangolins “contained unexpected reads and was in serious risk of contamination” in early June 2020. But now we can explain how it was possible to happen this in Guangdong
https://t.co/SbBi7JXX5A
Jin-Ping Chen, the corresponding author of the first paper of the pangolins, and LiBiao Zhang, who has been sampling the mine of RaTG13 and the place in Mengla where RmYN02 was collected, are close colleagues in GIABR & GIZ
https://t.co/Mf0AeRatge
https://t.co/C444TLT6JO
LiBiao Zhang was probably in the mine on 27-Jul-12 with HKU team (he is co-author in Lau et al. (2017)) and a week later on 06-Aug-12 with WIV in their 1st visit. Surprisingly, he is co-author in the AdV isolates paper, but not credited in Ge et al. (2016)
https://t.co/ZNW6sd976T
LiBiao Zhang was also sampling in the same location as Holmes. GPS coordinates are 4 km apart, although it seems that Holmes’ team obfuscated a bit the location. He may even have sampled a close relative bat unnoticing that was infected with similar virus
https://t.co/KDNirmZ9DX
Also, Libiao Zhang was in Yunnan in July 2019 catching bats with students. So, we have not only two possible sources of lab contamination, but also we cannot rule out a lab zoonosis if any bats were sent to GIABR/GIZ and kept in the same room as pangolins
https://t.co/i7ZdsTURKi
Thanks @BillyBostickson for the link
Another possibility is that one of these students (Libiao Zhang is probably already well immunized) served as a human intermediate host for the pangolins. Not being able to infect h2h but h2p? I think it is less likely but cannot rule out either https://t.co/AvHO3pe6lA
Also pointed by @TheSeeker: "the binding affinity of the pangolin ACE2 receptor for SARS-CoV-2 RBD was later on reported to be low" https://t.co/d0yMNAqZeG
There is a fifth possible source of the contamination, but from a Bayesian point of view it should be less likely. We will explain it in an special thread on lab contamination soon
I forgot to add this to this threat: https://t.co/aZzyhLMGmK
Just found a great coincidence, although it could be spurious: Jin-Ping Chen is corresponding author of Yuan et al. (2014) with ZLS and Daszak. He was nearby while the miners outbreak was taking place. Although, they aparently did not sampled Ra, Rs or Rm https://t.co/HC52X3sbgP
To end, something very important: Do not discard this "Pangolin CoV" story! The metagenomes are probably the most trustworthy data along with 4991 RdRp.
Uploaded on 2019-09-23!

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https://t.co/6cRR2B3jBE
Viruses and other pathogens are often studied as stand-alone entities, despite that, in nature, they mostly live in multispecies associations called biofilms—both externally and within the host.

https://t.co/FBfXhUrH5d


Microorganisms in biofilms are enclosed by an extracellular matrix that confers protection and improves survival. Previous studies have shown that viruses can secondarily colonize preexisting biofilms, and viral biofilms have also been described.


...we raise the perspective that CoVs can persistently infect bats due to their association with biofilm structures. This phenomenon potentially provides an optimal environment for nonpathogenic & well-adapted viruses to interact with the host, as well as for viral recombination.


Biofilms can also enhance virion viability in extracellular environments, such as on fomites and in aquatic sediments, allowing viral persistence and dissemination.

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