Cat Que Virus From China Could Cause Another Disease in India, Says ICMR Amid COVID-19 Pandemic; Here's What it is And How it is Spreading
Pune, September 28: At the time when the world is battling with coronavirus, another virus from China called ‘Cat Que Virus’ (CQV) reportedly has the potential to cause disease. ‘Cat Que Virus’ was discovered by scientists at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The virus falls under the category of Arthropod-borne viruses. It is found in pigs and culex mosquitoes, reported Hindustan Times.
According to the report, Scientists at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), ICMR, Pune discovered antibodies for the virus. The antibodies were detected in two out of the 883 human serum sample tested at the laboratory. These two samples were detected from Karnataka. COVID-19 Vaccine Portal Launched by Union Health Ministry; Has Details About R&D, Clinical Trials of Coronavirus Vaccine; Know More About The Portal.
The two people were found to be positive for the presence of anti-CQV IgG antibodies in 2014 and 2017, reported the media house. According to ICMR scientists, availability of vector, primary mammalian host (swine) and confirmation of CQV from the jungle myna bird points to the presence of orthobunyavirus in the country. Coronavirus Cases in India Near 6 Million, COVID-19 Death Toll Crosses 94,000.
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What is Cat Que Virus:
According to US National Library of Medicine, Cat Que virus (CQV), a Simbu serogroup virus of the genus Orthobunyavirus (family Bunyaviridae), was first isolated in 2004 from mosquitoes during surveillance of arbovirus activity in acute pediatric encephalitis in northern Vietnam. The complete genome sequence of SC0806 isolated from mosquitoes (Culex tritaeniorhynchus) was found in Sichuan Province, China.
“Anti-CQV IgG antibody positivity in human serum samples tested and the replication capability of CQV in mosquitoes indicated a possible disease-causing potential of CQV in Indian scenario,” reported Money Control quoting ICMR as saying. COVID-19, which originated in China’s Wuhan city, has claimed over a million lives across the world. India is the second-worst-hit country with close to six million cases.
