A New Coronavirus Has Been Found Spreading Among Rodents in Sweden

There are other wild animals that harbor novel coronaviruses. Rodents like rats, mice, and voles can carry diseases that can jump over to us.

After the location of its discovery, researchers have now identified a widespread and common coronaviruses they call the Grims virus.

We don't know if the new virus is dangerous to humans, but it's a good reminder that we need to keep an eye out for wildlife viruses.

There are no known threats to public health from the Grims virus. "Based on our observations and previous coronaviruses identified among bank voles, there is good reason to continue monitoring the coronaviruses among wild rodents."

Some of the most common rodents in Europe are bank voles. They are hosts of the Puumala virus, which can cause a disease in humans.

The risk of contracting a disease that voles carry into our homes increases when we seek refuge in human buildings.

Lundkvist and his colleagues have been looking at wildlife disease to better anticipate when their viruses could spill over. Climate change and habitat destruction will likely lead to more interactions with voles in the future.

A new coronaviruses was found in 3.4 percent of the bank voles tested.

When they jump over to humans, the bats and rodents are responsible for causing the common cold and respiratory Viruses.

The new vole virus hasn't been caught jumping over to humans just yet, but if COVID-19 has taught us anything, it's that we need increased monitoring of wildlife disease.

Researchers in Sweden discovered several different strains of the Grims virus over the course of three years.

The distribution of other closely related coronaviruses among voles in France, Germany, and Poland suggests these creatures are natural hosts for the disease.

It's a bad sign that the Grims virus is very different from one another. The virus is easy to adapt to new environments.

It is possible that the strains found in circulation are from bank voles or another species.

Since bank voles are one of the most common rodents in Sweden and Europe, our findings suggest that Grims virus might be circulating widely in bank voles.

Human exploitation of wild spaces has been shown to increase the risk of animal disease. Bats, rodents, and primate have abundant populations and are easy to adapt to humans.

Rodents and bats aren't the only animals infectious disease specialists need to watch out for.

Forty percent of deer in the northeast of the United States have been exposed to the disease.

Researchers are worried that the COVID-19 epidemic could cause another version of the disease down the road, as livestock have been rolled into it.

It is not acceptable to deciminate entire populations of animals in the wild. Adding more ecological upheaval will only serve to further unbalance the environment. It's important that improved surveillance is done.

New coronaviruses could be in our homes if bad weather and habitat destruction get worse.

There was a study published.