Department of Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Social Sciences), University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine), University of Helsinki, Finland.
Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2020 May;226:113490. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113490. Epub 2020 Feb 20.
The world is faced with a remarkable coronavirus outbreak with epicentre in Wuhan, China. Altogether 40554 cases have been confirmed globally with novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) until February 10, 2020. Rigorous surveillance in other countries is required to prevent further global expansion of the outbreak, but resolving the exact mechanism of the initial transmission events is crucial. Most initial cases had visited Huanan South Seafood Market in Wuhan selling also various exotic live animals. Based on the limited initial human-to-human transmission and timely clustering of cases in Huanan market among elderly men, coupled with knowledge that coronaviruses are derived from animals and relationship of SARS-CoV-2 to bat coronavirus, zoonotic transmission in the first instance is probable. To target the actions, similar epidemiological actions to human cases are needed with animal or food exposures. According to current information, an exceptionally wide contamination of seafood market might explain the initiation of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Seafood tanks, air contamination by live animals or rodents are possibilities, but sold animals normally come from various sources. The mode of transmission may become clearer in future: usually in outbreak investigations, hindsight is easy, but for now information about the initial source of this outbreak is limited.
世界正面临着一场以中国武汉为中心的、引人瞩目的冠状病毒爆发。截至 2020 年 2 月 10 日,全球共有 40554 例新型冠状病毒(SARS-CoV-2)确诊病例。需要在其他国家进行严格监测,以防止疫情进一步在全球范围内蔓延,但确定疫情最初传播的确切机制至关重要。大多数最初的病例都曾前往武汉华南海鲜市场,该市场还出售各种外来活体动物。基于有限的最初人际传播以及华南市场中老年男性病例的及时聚集,再加上对冠状病毒来源于动物以及 SARS-CoV-2 与蝙蝠冠状病毒的关系的了解,最初可能是动物传人。为了有针对性地采取行动,需要针对动物或食物暴露的人类病例采取类似的流行病学行动。根据目前的信息,海鲜市场的异常广泛污染可能解释了 SARS-CoV-2 爆发的起因。海鲜水箱、受活体动物或啮齿动物污染的空气都有可能,但出售的动物通常来自多个来源。传播模式在未来可能会更加清晰:通常在疫情调查中,事后看来很容易,但目前关于该疫情最初来源的信息有限。