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The origins of SARS-CoV-2: A critical review

  • Edward C. Holmes*
  • , Stephen A. Goldstein
  • , Angela L. Rasmussen
  • , David L. Robertson
  • , Alexander Crits-Christoph
  • , Joel O. Wertheim
  • , Simon J. Anthony
  • , Wendy S. Barclay
  • , Maciej F. Boni
  • , Peter C. Doherty
  • , Jeremy Farrar
  • , Jemma L. Geoghegan
  • , Xiaowei Jiang
  • , Julian L. Leibowitz
  • , Stuart J.D. Neil
  • , Tim Skern
  • , Susan R. Weiss
  • , Michael Worobey
  • , Kristian G. Andersen
  • , Robert F. Garry
  • Andrew Rambaut*
*Corresponding author for this work
  • University of Sydney
  • University of Utah
  • University of Saskatchewan
  • MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research
  • University of California at Berkeley
  • University of California at San Diego
  • University of California at Davis
  • Imperial College London
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • University of Melbourne
  • Wellcome Trust
  • University of Otago
  • ESR
  • Texas A&M University
  • Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
  • Medical University of Vienna
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Arizona
  • Scripps Research Institute
  • Tulane University
  • Zalgen Labs
  • University of Edinburgh

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

397 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Since the first reports of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-like coronavirus in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, there has been intense interest in understanding how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in the human population. Recent debate has coalesced around two competing ideas: a “laboratory escape” scenario and zoonotic emergence. Here, we critically review the current scientific evidence that may help clarify the origin of SARS-CoV-2.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4848-4856
Number of pages9
JournalCell
Volume184
Issue number19
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Sept 2021

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • evolution
  • origins
  • zoonosis

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