Pangolin body parts are highly valued in traditional medicine in countries including China and Vietnam while their meat is considered a delicacy. AFP/HOANG DINH NAM
Researchers have long suspected that the virus, which has now killed more than 630 people and infected some 31,000, was passed from an animal to a human at a market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. After testing more than 1,000 samples from wild animals, scientists from the university found the genome sequences of viruses found on pangolins to be 99% identical to those on coronavirus patients, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
China in January ordered a temporary ban on the trade in wild animals until the epidemic is under control.
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