Could viruses that infect animals have evolved properties that infect plants?

Coronaviruses are animal viruses, which means they do not infect plants, so plants will not be the host of the coronavirus, nor will they be intermediate hosts. The prevailing view is that viral infections are specific and that as an animal virus, coronaviruses can only infect animals. To be precise, coronaviruses can only infect vertebrates, and those invertebrates do not invade by such viruses.

On the other hand, plant viruses cannot infect animals, only plants, for example, tobacco mosaic virus can infect Solanaceae plants, including tobacco, tomatoes, but not animals. The reservoir of a plant virus can only be a plant, not an animal.

Why are animal and plant virus infections specific?

The reason for this is that the two types of viruses invade cells in different ways. Plant cells have a cell wall, and in most cases, plant viruses invade when the cellulose that makes up the cell wall is broken. There is a pores between plant cells that connect to the cell wall, plasmodesmata, through which some plant viruses can directly infect other normal cells.

On the other hand, the capsid protein of animal viruses can bind to specific receptors on the surface of animal cells, and then invade cells through endocytosis or membrane fusion. Due to the highly specific nature of this process, an animal virus tends to only be able to invade specific animal cells, so it is unlikely to invade plant cells. The long-term co-evolution of animal viruses and animals makes the infection of viruses highly specific, and plant viruses have a similar relationship with plants.

However, previous studies have suggested that there may be plant viruses that can infect both plants and animals. According to a 2010 study published in PLOS ONE [1], scientists detected the RNA of chili mild mottle virus in the feces of some subjects, who were more likely to have symptoms such as fever and abdominal pain, which means that the plant virus that infects chili peppers may also infect humans. However, this study lacks direct evidence, and more experiments are needed to support it.

As far as is known, the reservoir of the coronavirus can only be some wild animals, such as bats and birds. There are many types of coronaviruses, and seven of them are known to have the ability to infect humans, including the recent 2019 novel coronavirus. A study published in the Journal of Virology [2] suggests that the last common ancestor of these RNA viruses can be traced back to about 10,000 years ago.

Coronaviruses have co-evolved with animals such as bats for a long time, and some of them have been transmitted to animals such as civets and pangolins, and through genetic mutation, they can be transmitted to humans and make some infected humans sick.

As we all know, any organism in nature is a process of maintaining its own life and continuous evolution, of course, viruses that infect animals are also likely to evolve the attributes of infecting plants, all in order to make themselves better survive, so there may be some factors in the environment, which will make some viruses that infect animals are also very likely to infect plants, for these viruses, we humans need to be careful, because viruses will not only cause harm to us humans, At the same time, it will also cause certain harm to our daily production, and we must be careful to prevent it.

There is this possibility. Virus mutations are non-directional, which means that one second it may only infect animals, and the next second it will have the ability to infect plants.

Coronaviruses are animal viruses, which means that they do not infect plants, so plants do not become either hosts or intermediate hosts for coronaviruses. The prevailing view is that viral infections are specific. Coronavirus, as an animal virus, can only infect animals.

To be precise, coronaviruses can only infect vertebrates, and those invertebrates cannot be invaded by such viruses.

So far, no such virus has been found, because the virus is relatively specific when it comes to boarding, and the difference between plant cells and animal cells is too great, and the virus cannot host at the same time.

Because the body structure and cell structure of plants and animals are completely different, no plant or animal virus can infect humans or plants.

As far as is known, there is no such virus for the time being, and it can only infect one animal or plant separately in the case of a general virus, and there is no way to infect it at the same time.

Biological evolution must continue, and what evolves into is very fortuitous, and then through natural selection, the fittest survive, so it is almost impossible to replicate the previous evolutionary process. Humans cannot stop biological evolution and can only intervene to a limited extent. It is almost impossible for bacteria and viruses to evolve into plants and animals.

The reasons are:1There should be no primitive organisms that evolved into plants and animals;

2.It is difficult to reproduce the various mutagenesis factors in the long evolutionary process at that time, and the same series of mutations should not have occurred;

3..It is difficult to reproduce the various environmental factors in the long evolutionary process of the time, and the same choice should not have occurred.

Therefore, pet owners must bathe them frequently, groom them, wash their hands frequently, ventilate their homes frequently, and change bed sheets frequently. Although there are viruses and other things in the animals raised at home, as long as the hygiene problem is taken care of, it is still fine. It is recommended that children at home, the elderly with low immunity, or pregnant women should try not to have pets.

We have all heard of the swine flu virus, so it is possible for pigs to carry the virus; Hyenas: This animal eats carcasses, so there is a high chance of carrying the virus; Komodo dragon: This creature contains viruses in its saliva; Bats:

Some bats live by sucking blood, so there is a high chance that they will carry the virus.

In fact, it is not that animals that carry the virus are not infected, but that some animals have antibodies to a certain virus and thus become the host of the virus. Hopefully, scientists can come up with ways to avoid contracting the virus as soon as possible, or produce antibody genes, so that we don't have to worry about contracting the virus.

Because these animals themselves contain antibodies to these viruses, their immune systems are in good balance with the viruses so that they don't get infected.

Because any animal that has viruses in their own body contains antibodies, for example, bats, they have many viruses in their bodies, and they are immune to these viruses so they will not be infected.

Because those viruses can coexist in them, they can live in peace, but the human body cannot.