There's a troubling array of viruses present in fur-farmed animals across China, with several showing a high risk of crossing over to humans, new research in the journal Nature has unveiled.
Researchers found that dozens of viruses, including 36 previously unknown ones, are circulating among animals such as minks, rabbits, foxes and raccoon dogs.
"One of the more interesting findings is that you see such a high diversity of viruses being shared between so many different animal species over such large geographical distances," study co-author John Pettersson of Uppsala University, Sweden, told Newsweek.
"For viruses, these are good conditions, as having multiple opportunities to infect many individuals in various host species can help a virus to evolve and jump to a new species. Following adaptation, one of those new species the virus jumps into might be humans."
The comprehensive study involved the genetic analysis of lung and intestine samples from 461 animals that died across China between 2021 and 2024. Of these, 412 were from fur farms, with the rest originating from natural or artificially created wild environments.
The analysis identified 125 viruses, 36 of which were novel and 39 categorized as having a "high risk" of jumping between species, including humans.
"One aspect in identifying viruses is to identify those with the broadest host repertoire," Pettersson said, referring to the ability of certain viruses to infect multiple species of animals.
"In our case, we suggest that those viruses that were found in two or more taxonomic orders might pose a risk for animal and human health."
Among the detected viruses were several types of bird flu found in guinea pigs, minks and muskrats, and seven types of coronaviruses, although none closely related to SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.
Pettersson also identified paramyxoviruses—the family of viruses known for causing measles and mumps in humans—as particularly adept at crossing from species to species.
"Now, why viruses that belong to these groups are particularly good at infecting different species is a combination of many complex and interacting factors: evolutionary rate, host-virus evolution and more. But we need more studies to have a better understanding of virus-host jumps," he said.
Notably, of the high-risk viruses identified, 11 were zoonotic, meaning they have already been seen in humans. These included hepatitis E and Japanese encephalitis.
Thirteen high-risk viruses were entirely new, posing a significant risk for future outbreaks.
The species topping the charts for carrying the most potentially high-risk viruses was raccoon dogs, with 10. Not to be confused with North American raccoons—their namesake owing to the similarity of their face markings—raccoon dogs are small fox-like canids native to East Asia.
The research echoes previous warnings about the risks of fur farming, a practice linked to viral cross-species transmission. In response to similar concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, Denmark instituted a mass mink cull in 2020, though the country has since reauthorized mink farming.
In response to the findings, the research team advocates for regular and transparent surveillance of fur farms.
"This would have to be adapted to the situation of a specific farm and the country it operates in," Pettersson said.
However, implementation may prove challenging. "Cost will undoubtedly be a limiting factor, whether for the testing itself or the associated logistics," he said.
Pettersson added, "The other thing, I guess, is if we should have these fur farms to begin with."
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References
Zhao, J., Wan, W., Yu, K., Lemey, P., Pettersson, J. H.-O., Bi, Y., Lu, M., Li, X., Chen, Z., Zheng, M., Yan, G., Dai, J., Li, Y., Haerheng, A., He, N., Tu, C., Suchard, M. A., Holmes, E. C., He, W.-T., & Su, S. (2024). Farmed fur animals harbour viruses with zoonotic spillover potential. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07901-3
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