Amid COVID-19, Another Virus From China Can Cause Disease in India: ICMR Officials Warn

Amid the ongoing fight against deadly COVID-19, scientists at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have got to know that another virus called ‘Cat Que Virus’ (CQV) has the potential to cause disease in India. 

This virus called as CQV has largely been reported in countries like China and Vietnam. It falls under the category of Arthropod-borne viruses which is found in pigs and culex mosquitoes. 

According to a Hindustan Times report, scientists at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), ICMR, Pune discovered antibodies for the virus in two out of the 883 human serum samples tested across states. Further in the sample testing, it indicated that these two people were infected with CQV at some point of time.

Also, these two samples from Karnataka have been found to be positive for presence of anti-CQV IgG antibodies in 2014 and 2017. Meanwhile, ICMR scientists claim that availability of vector, primary mammalian host (swine) and confirmation of CQV from the jungle myna bird signifies the potential of this orthobunyavirus as a public health pathogen in India, Hindustan Times further reported.  

Further in their research, the ICMR officials found that 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 India.

Meanwhile, reports also suggest that CQV has been isolated and reported from mosquitoes, which is its natural host. Even, domestic pigs are the primary mammalian host and antibodies against the virus that has been found in swine reared locally in China.