Nga, Nguyen Thi Thanh (Wildlife Conservation Society) Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga Fine, Amanda E. (Wildlife Conservation Society) Amanda E. Fine Hung, Vo Van (Regional Animal Health Office No. 6) Vo Van Hung Phuong, Nguyen Thanh (Regional Animal Health Office No. 6) Nguyen Thanh Phuong Long, Pham Thanh (Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development of Viet Nam) Pham Thanh Long Hai, Lam Kim (Save Vietnam's Wildlife) Lam Kim Hai Thai, Hoang Van (Cuc Phuong National Park) Hoang Van Thai Phuong, Tran Quang (Cuc Phuong National Park) Tran Quang Phuong Thai, Nguyen Van (Save Vietnam's Wildlife) Nguyen Van Thai Anh, Nguyen Thi Lan (Wildlife Conservation Society) Nguyen Thi Lan Anh Ngoc, Pham Thi Bich (Wildlife Conservation Society) Pham Thi Bich Ngoc Long, Nguyen Van (Wildlife Conservation Society) Nguyen Van Long Olson, Sarah H. (Wildlife Conservation Society) Sarah H. Olson Latinne, Alice (Wildlife Conservation Society) Alice Latinne Thuy, Hoang Bich (Wildlife Conservation Society) Hoang Bich Thuy Walzer, Chris (University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna / Wildlife Conservation Society) Chris Walzer Roberton, Scott I. (Wildlife Conservation Society) Scott I. Roberton Mazet, Jonna A. K. (University of California) Jonna A. K. Mazet Johnson, Christine K. (University of California) Christine K. Johnson Hoa, Nguyen Thi (Viet Nam National University of Agriculture) Nguyen Thi Hoa Lan, Nguyen Thi (Viet Nam National University of Agriculture) Nguyen Thi Lan Quang, Le Tin Vinh (Regional Animal Health Office No. 6) Le Tin Vinh Quang Frontiers Media Sa 2022 Abstract: Despite the discovery of several closely related viruses in bats, the direct evolutionary progenitor of SARS-CoV-2 has not yet been identified. In this study, we investigated potential animal sources of SARS-related coronaviruses using archived specimens from Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica) and Chinese pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade, and from common palm civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) raised on wildlife farms in Viet Nam. A total of 696 pangolin and civet specimens were screened for the presence of viral RNA from five zoonotic viral families and from Sarbecoviruses using primers specifically designed for pangolin coronaviruses. We also performed a curated data collection of media reports of wildlife confiscation events involving pangolins in Viet Nam between January 2016 and December 2020, to illustrate the global pangolin supply chain in the context of Viet Nam where the trade confiscated pangolins were sampled for this study. All specimens from pangolins and civets sampled along the wildlife supply chains between February 2017 and July 2018, in Viet Nam and tested with conventional PCR assays designed to detect flavivirus, paramyxovirus, filovirus, coronavirus, and orthomyxovirus RNA were negative. Civet samples were also negative for Sarbecoviruses, but 12 specimens from seven live pangolins confiscated in Hung Yen province, northern Viet Nam, in 2018 were positive for Sarbecoviruses. Our phylogenetic trees based on two fragments of the RdRp gene revealed that the Sarbecoviruses identified in these pangolins were closely related to pangolin coronaviruses detected in pangolins confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade in Yunnan and Guangxi provinces, China. Our curated data collection of media reports of wildlife confiscation events involving pangolins in Viet Nam between January 2016 and December 2020, reflected what is known about pangolin trafficking globally. Pangolins confiscated in Viet Nam were largely in transit, moving toward downstream consumers in China. Confiscations included pangolin scales sourced originally from Africa (and African species of pangolins), or pangolin carcasses and live pangolins native to Southeast Asia (predominately the Sunda pangolin) sourced from neighboring range countries and moving through Viet Nam toward provinces bordering China. PDFDocument en 2023-07-24T13:32:40.206Z Coronavirus, Pangolin, SARS-CoV-2, One Health, Wildlife trade, Trafficking, EID, Spillover 3214138 b application/pdf CC BY 4.0 International