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Another virus from China has potential to cause disease in India: ICMR

New Delhi: The scientists of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have discovered another virus called ‘Cat Que Virus’ (CQV) which has the potential to cause new disease in the country, in midst of war against Covid-19.

New Delhi: The scientists of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have discovered another virus called ‘Cat Que Virus’ (CQV) which has the potential to cause new disease in the country, in midst of war against Covid-19. 

The CQV falls under the category of Arthropod-borne viruses and found in pigs and culex mosquitoes, which has been mainly reported in China and Vietnam.

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 testing  of these samples indicated that at some point of time these two were infected with CQV. These two samples from Karnataka were found to be positive  in 2014 and 2017 for presence of anti-CQV IgG antibodies.

Livemint reported from ICMR scientists  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 new pathogen in India.

“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”, ICMR added.

The ICMR study also shows that Indian mosquito breeds- Ae. aegypti, Cx. quinquefasciatus and Cx. Tritaeniorhynchus were vulnerable to CQV.