Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
image/svg+xml art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos Open Access logo, converted into svg, designed by PLoS. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Open_Access_logo_PLoS_white.svg art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos http://www.plos.org/ ZENODOarrow_drop_down
image/svg+xml art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos Open Access logo, converted into svg, designed by PLoS. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Open_Access_logo_PLoS_white.svg art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos http://www.plos.org/
ZENODO
Preprint . 2020
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
image/svg+xml art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos Open Access logo, converted into svg, designed by PLoS. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Open_Access_logo_PLoS_white.svg art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos http://www.plos.org/
ZENODO
Preprint . 2020
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
image/svg+xml art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos Open Access logo, converted into svg, designed by PLoS. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Open_Access_logo_PLoS_white.svg art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos http://www.plos.org/
ZENODO
Preprint . 2020
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
versions View all 2 versions
addClaim

Root cause of COVID-19? Biotechnology's dirty secret: Contamination. Bioinformatics evidence demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 was created in a laboratory, unlikely to be a bioweapon but most likely a result of sloppy experiments

Authors: Arumugham, Vinu;

Root cause of COVID-19? Biotechnology's dirty secret: Contamination. Bioinformatics evidence demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 was created in a laboratory, unlikely to be a bioweapon but most likely a result of sloppy experiments

Abstract

Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) were using Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) derived plasmids, cotransfecting them along with SARS-like virus derived spike gene plasmids, into human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells. This created pseudoviruses so that the experiment can be performed in a Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) laboratory instead of the BSL-4 required for SARS-like viruses. Their spike gene plasmid solution however, could of course be contaminated with SARS-like viruses due to inadequate purification, which infect the HEK cells. With HEK cells containing transfected HIV-1 genetic material, novel recombinant SARS-like viruses can be created with HIV-1 derived inserts. Such novel coronaviruses would have been exposed to laboratory workers and animals during handling, especially in a relaxed BSL-2 setting, thus resulting in SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. Researchers identified the signature of 4 such HIV-1-like inserts in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Two more inserts identified in the SARS-CoV-2 ORF1a protein are described here. All inserts have high homology to HIV-1 sequences. Contamination is a fundamental problem that plagues drugs, vaccines, biologics, diagnostics and laboratory research materials. The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries have done next to nothing about it. Egg, milk protein contaminated vaccines cause egg/milk allergy. Animal/plant/fungal protein contaminated vaccines cause the explosion of autoimmune disorders. Insulin injections are contaminated with yeast proteins which results in de novo autoimmune disorders. Rotavirus vaccines are contaminated with viable porcine circoviruses. Animal tissue and serum used in vaccine manufacturing are derived from animals infected by numerous diseases. And of course coronavirus infected animal material contaminating vaccines, cause IgE mediated sensitization against coronavirus proteins thus leading to COVID-19 severity. Products used in humans are supposed to be held to a “higher standard”. So what level of contamination can we expect in diagnostics and materials used in laboratory research? The WIV was experimenting with numerous SARS-like coronaviruses (SARS-L-CoV). The HEK were grown using fetal calf serum. So their experiments were contaminated with SARS-L-CoV and its genetic material, HIV-1 and its genetic material, any bovine viruses in the fetal calf serum, human viruses in HEK and their genetic material. When a cell is infected with multiple viruses or contaminated with genetic material from multiple viruses, recombination can occur creating novel viruses. With millions of cells contaminated as above, the Wuhan laboratory (and other such laboratories) were incubators for novel viruses including coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2. The laboratories in China were also notorious for leaking viruses. So it was only a matter of time before a virus with human-to-human transmission capability would leak. It did, in November 2019. Biosafety is a misnomer. These are biohazard laboratories. These laboratories, around the world, must be immediately shut down before they wipe out humanity with the next disease.

Keywords

plasmids, pseudovirus, SARS-CoV-2, BLASTP, human embryonic kidney cells, coronavirus, COVID-19, HIV, spike protein, recombination, protein sequence, contamination, vaccine

  • BIP!
    Impact byBIP!
    selected citations
    These citations are derived from selected sources.
    This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    0
    popularity
    This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
    influence
    This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    Average
    impulse
    This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
    OpenAIRE UsageCounts
    Usage byUsageCounts
    visibility views 297
    download downloads 118
  • 297
    views
    118
    downloads
    Powered byOpenAIRE UsageCounts
Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
visibility
download
selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
views
OpenAIRE UsageCountsViews provided by UsageCounts
downloads
OpenAIRE UsageCountsDownloads provided by UsageCounts
0
Average
Average
Average
297
118
Green
Related to Research communities