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Updated: Sep 6, 2025

Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2
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[SARS-CoV-2 has no origin].

Roger Frutos1, Laurent Gavotte2, Christian A Devaux3

  • 1Cirad, UMR 17, Intertryp, Montpellier, France.

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|June 29, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The origin of viruses like COVID-19 is not a single point but an ongoing evolutionary process. Understanding viral evolution is key to addressing pandemic emergence, not just the virus itself.

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Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic sparked intense debate regarding the virus's origin.
  • The concept of a singular "origin" for viruses is fundamentally flawed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reframe the discussion of viral origins from a fixed point to a dynamic evolutionary process.
  • To highlight the importance of understanding viral emergence pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis drawing parallels with Darwinian evolution.
  • Review of viral circulation and adaptation mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • Viruses, like species, undergo continuous evolution and selection, lacking a determined origin.
  • Pandemic viruses circulate and evolve within host populations prior to widespread disease.

Conclusions:

  • Focusing on the "origin" of a virus is a misdirected approach.
  • Addressing the process of disease emergence through understanding viral evolution is crucial for pandemic preparedness.