Study linking coronavirus origin to stray dogs "speculative", experts say

Scientists have expressed concerns about a study which proposed that stray dogs may have played a role in the origin of the novel coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that pet owners may abandon their dogs because of these "speculative" findings which need experimental proof.

The study, published earlier this month in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, proposed a possible link between stray dogs, particularly their intestines, and the evolution of the novel coronavirus.

According to the study author Xuhua Xia from the University of Ottawa in Canada, the intestines of stray dogs may have offered a conducive environment for coronaviruses to evolve into ones with better ability to evade certain mammalian host immune defences.

Based on this, he suggested the "importance of monitoring SARS-like coronaviruses in feral dogs in the fight against SARS-CoV-2."
However, she said "this is a hypothesis, and it is better not to nail it on dogs as we don't have direct evidence."