In 2013, scientists discovered that the intermediate horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus affinis) can carry a coronavirus very similar to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the pandemic.

The hunt for the next potential coronavirus animal host

Some scientists warn there’s a small but real possibility the virus could take refuge in a new animal host and reintroduce it to humans in the future.

PHOTOGRAPH BY FLETCHER & BAYLIS

AS COVID-19 BLISTERS its way around the globe, much of the focus has been on stopping the spread of the virus and treating those who are sick. But virologists say there’s something else that deserves our focus as well—the search for future animal hosts. Experts say that it’s possible the virus could take hold of a new species and build a redoubt for reinfecting people in the future.
A Temminck's ground pangolin drinks from a puddle at a rehabilitation center in Zimbabwe. Pangolins are known to carry a variety of coronaviruses, and Sunda pangolins—native to Southeast Asia—have been found to carry a strain of the virus that's 92.4 percent genetically similar to the novel coronavirus.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRENT STIRTON

Heritage breeds of domestic pigs roam in Columbia, South Carolina. Pigs have been identified as one of a number of possible future hosts for the novel coronavirus.

PHOTOGRAPH BY VINCENT J. MUSI

Story BY ANTHONY KING

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