Viral CpG deficiency provides no evidence that dogs were intermediate hosts for SARS-CoV-2

David D. Pollock; Todd A. Castoe; Blair W. Perry; Spyros Lytras; Kristen J. Wade; David L. Robertson; Edward C. Holmes; Maciej F. Boni; Sergei L. Kosakovsky Pond; Rhys Parry; Elizabeth J. Carlton; James L.N. Wood; Pleuni S. Pennings; Richard A. Goldstein

doi:10.1093/molbev/msaa178

Viral CpG deficiency provides no evidence that dogs were intermediate hosts for SARS-CoV-2

David D. Pollock, Todd A. Castoe, Blair W. Perry, Spyros Lytras, Kristen J. Wade, David L. Robertson, Edward C. Holmes, Maciej F. Boni, Sergei L. Kosakovsky Pond, Rhys Parry, Elizabeth J. Carlton, James L.N. Wood, Pleuni S. Pennings, Richard A. Goldstein

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Due to the scope and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic there exists a strong desire to understand where the SARS-CoV- 2 virus came from and how it jumped species boundaries to humans. Molecular evolutionary analyses can trace viral origins by establishing relatedness and divergence times of viruses and identifying past selective pressures. However, we must uphold rigorous standards of inference and interpretation on this topic because of the ramifications of being wrong. Here, we dispute the conclusions of Xia (2020. Extreme genomic CpG deficiency in SARS-CoV-2 and evasion of host antiviral defense. Mol Biol Evol. doi:10.1093/molbev/masa095) that dogs are a likely intermediate host of a SARS-CoV-2 ancestor.We highlight major flaws in Xia's inference process and his analysis of CpG deficiencies, and conclude that there is no direct evidence for the role of dogs as intermediate hosts. Bats and pangolins currently have the greatest support as ancestral hosts of SARS-CoV-2, with the strong caveat that sampling of wildlife species for coronaviruses has been limited.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	2706-2710
Number of pages	5
Journal	Molecular biology and evolution
Volume	37
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaa178
State	Published - Sep 1 2020

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Molecular Biology
Genetics

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Pollock, D. D., Castoe, T. A., Perry, B. W., Lytras, S., Wade, K. J., Robertson, D. L., Holmes, E. C., Boni, M. F., Kosakovsky Pond, S. L., Parry, R., Carlton, E. J., Wood, J. L. N., Pennings, P. S., & Goldstein, R. A. (2020). Viral CpG deficiency provides no evidence that dogs were intermediate hosts for SARS-CoV-2. Molecular biology and evolution, 37(9), 2706-2710. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaa178

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title = "Viral CpG deficiency provides no evidence that dogs were intermediate hosts for SARS-CoV-2",

abstract = "Due to the scope and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic there exists a strong desire to understand where the SARS-CoV- 2 virus came from and how it jumped species boundaries to humans. Molecular evolutionary analyses can trace viral origins by establishing relatedness and divergence times of viruses and identifying past selective pressures. However, we must uphold rigorous standards of inference and interpretation on this topic because of the ramifications of being wrong. Here, we dispute the conclusions of Xia (2020. Extreme genomic CpG deficiency in SARS-CoV-2 and evasion of host antiviral defense. Mol Biol Evol. doi:10.1093/molbev/masa095) that dogs are a likely intermediate host of a SARS-CoV-2 ancestor.We highlight major flaws in Xia's inference process and his analysis of CpG deficiencies, and conclude that there is no direct evidence for the role of dogs as intermediate hosts. Bats and pangolins currently have the greatest support as ancestral hosts of SARS-CoV-2, with the strong caveat that sampling of wildlife species for coronaviruses has been limited.",

author = "Pollock, {David D.} and Castoe, {Todd A.} and Perry, {Blair W.} and Spyros Lytras and Wade, {Kristen J.} and Robertson, {David L.} and Holmes, {Edward C.} and Boni, {Maciej F.} and {Kosakovsky Pond}, {Sergei L.} and Rhys Parry and Carlton, {Elizabeth J.} and Wood, {James L.N.} and Pennings, {Pleuni S.} and Goldstein, {Richard A.}",

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doi = "10.1093/molbev/msaa178",

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Pollock, DD, Castoe, TA, Perry, BW, Lytras, S, Wade, KJ, Robertson, DL, Holmes, EC, Boni, MF, Kosakovsky Pond, SL, Parry, R, Carlton, EJ, Wood, JLN, Pennings, PS & Goldstein, RA 2020, 'Viral CpG deficiency provides no evidence that dogs were intermediate hosts for SARS-CoV-2', Molecular biology and evolution, vol. 37, no. 9, pp. 2706-2710. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaa178

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AU - Wade, Kristen J.

AU - Robertson, David L.

AU - Holmes, Edward C.

AU - Boni, Maciej F.

AU - Kosakovsky Pond, Sergei L.

AU - Parry, Rhys

AU - Carlton, Elizabeth J.

AU - Wood, James L.N.

AU - Pennings, Pleuni S.

AU - Goldstein, Richard A.

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Viral CpG deficiency provides no evidence that dogs were intermediate hosts for SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

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