[Surveillance on severe acute respiratory syndrome associated coronavirus in animals at a live animal market of Guangzhou in 2004].
OBJECTIVE
To study the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) like virus in animals at a live animal market of Guanzhou in 2004 before and after culling of wild animal action taken by the local authority, in order to predict the re-emerging of SARS from animal originals in this region.


METHODS
Animals at live animal market were sampled for rectal and throat swabs in triplicate. A single step realtime reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) diagnostic kit was performed for screening SARS-CoV like virus, the manual nested RT- PCR and DNA sequencing were performed for confirmation. Only specimens which tested positive for both of the N and P genes by nested RT-PCR were scored as positive.


RESULTS
In 31 animals sampled in January 5 2004 before culling of wild animals at Guangdong Province, including 20 cats (Felis catus), 5 red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and 6 Lesser rice field rats (Rattus losea), 8 (25.8%) animals were tested positive for SARS-CoV like virus by RT-PCR methods, of which 4 cats, 3 red fox and one Lesser rice field rats were included. However, two weeks after culling of animals and disinfection of the market were implemented, in 119 animals sampled in January 20 2004, including 6 rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), 13 cats, 46 red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), 13 spotbill duck (Anas platyrhynchos), 10 greylag goose (Anser anser), 31 Chinese francolin (Franclinus pintadeanus), only rectal swab from one greylag goose was tested positive for SARS-CoV like virus. Furthermore, in 102 animals that including 14 greylag gooses, 3 cats, 5 rabbits, 9 spotbill duck (Anaspoecilorhyncha), 2 Chinese francolin (Franclinus pintadeanus), 8 common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), 6 pigeons, 9 Chinese muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi), 19 wild boar (Sus scrofa), 16 Lesser rice field rats, 5 dogs, 1 mink (Mustela vison), 3 goats, 2 green peafowl (Pavo muticus) sampled in April, May, June, July, August and November, only rectal swab from one pig was tested positive. However, of 12 and 10 palm civets sampled in November and December including five of which had been at the live animals market for 2 days, none of them was tested positive.


CONCLUSIONS
This findings revealed that animals being sampled in April, May, June, July, August and November of 2004, only one rectal swab from a pig was tested positive as SARS-CoV like virus, much lower than the results from the previous year, suggesting that the possibility of re-emerging of human infection from animal origins is low for the winter of 2004-2005.
Wang
Ming
M
Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Jing
Huai-qi
HQ
Xu
Hui-fang
HF
Jiang
Xiu-gao
XG
Kan
Biao
B
Liu
Qi-yong
QY
Wan
Kang-lin
KL
Cui
Bu-yun
BY
Zheng
Han
H
Cui
Zhi-gang
ZG
Yan
Mei-ying
MY
Liang
Wei-li
WL
Wang
Hong-xia
HX
Qi
Xiao-bao
XB
Li
Zhen-jun
ZJ
Li
Ma-chao
MC
Chen
Kai
K
Zhang
En-min
EM
Zhang
Shou-yin
SY
Hai
Rong
R
Yu
Dong-zheng
DZ
Xu
Jian-guo
JG
D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000821:virology*; D002681:China; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D045989:Felidae / Q000821:virology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D004279:DNA, Viral