On January 19, 2018, Division of Medical Science of NSFC organized 11 experts in microbiology, etiology, infectious diseases, and immunology, led by Professor Zhao Guoping , academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to examine the concluding report of the major project "Discovery of Zoonotic Pathogens and Study of its Pathogenicity to Humans" (Grant No. 81290340) that sponsored by NSFC.  Sun Ruijuan, Deputy Director of Division of Medical Science of NSFC, together with related staff attended the meeting.

Many wild animals are the natural hosts of important human infectious disease pathogens. Once these pathogens contact and infect humans, they may cause serious diseases and trigger major public health crisis. The study found that a). the well-known HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) stemmed from African chimpanzees and gorillas. b). the Dengue virus came from Aeds aegypti and Aeds albopictus. c). Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which is also known as "atypical pneumonia" coronavirus (SARS-CoV), the MERS-Cov, and the Ebola virus originated from the same host, bats. Zika virus has been detected in Aedes mosquitoes and other mosquitoes. Influenza viruses transmitting from poultry, swine and horses to humans can also lead to diseases like flu. Carrying out basic, forward–looking investigations and related studies on the carriage of microorganisms and parasites by animals, especially wildlife animals, will provide reliable theoretical guidance for early warning and prevention of human infectious diseases. In respond to the country’s major strategic needs, the NSFC has formally established a major project in 2012 to support the team of outstanding scientists in China to carry out frontier research on zoonotic pathogens.

The project manager Academician Xu Jianguo  and the five PIs, Prof. Shi Zhengli , Prof. Liang Guodong , Prof. Zhang Yongzhen , Prof. Cao Wuchun  and Prof. Xu Jianguo , for each project presented a concluding report of the project in the examination meeting. Based on full communication, the expert panel of project acceptance carefully evaluated the concluding report.

The expert panel believe that the project team has obtained a number of major research results in specimen collection, discovery and identification of microorganisms and pathogens, and evolution and pathogenicity of microorganisms through five years of efforts, achieving a number of great research findings, forming a series of significant literatures as well as training a group of high-level professional talents. Moreover, the project has enhanced the academic status of Chinese’s scientist in this field, supported our nation’s relevant major strategic studies and the popularization of popular science, and has already formed and will further exert considerable influence in society. Specific results the project team has achieved include: 

1. Discovering and identifying a new batch of pathogens and making breakthroughs in related technologies. Four pathogens were firstly discovered and named internationally. Twenty new pathogens were discovered in China for the first time. Nine microorganisms, which had been considered non-pathogenic in the past, were proved its’ pathogenicity to human. Twenty-four new genotypes of known pathogens were discovered. There were 4 new animal hosts and 10 novel bacteria species were isolated and named. And more than 1640 new viruses were discovered using metagenomics techniques.

 2. By studying the relationship between pathogens and animal hosts, the understanding of spectrum of potential pathogenic field hosts has been deepened. The Himalayan marmot has been found to carry the Himalayan tick-born encephalitis virus (TBEV) that has been in existence for thousands of years and Himalayan marmot Hepatilis A virus. For the first time, the virus and bacterial spectrum of bats, tickes, mosquitoes, Himalayan marmots, vultures, and Rhesus monkey from Guangxi Province have been revealed. 

3. It was proposed risk of potential emerging infectious diseases in China, including West Nile Virus, Zika Virus, SARS-like Coronavirus, Anaplasma gomii, and E. albertii et al. 

4. Obtaining a number of theoretically significant innovations in the understanding of pathogenic microbiology, mainly including: a).More convincing evidence that prove SARS virus may be derived from bats. b). Redefining invertebrate RNA circle, which may bring significant changes in virus taxonomy. c). Arthropods may be the key elements for RNA virus evolution. d). Novel mechanisms of RNA virus evolved from single-stranded to double-stranded. 

5. A large number of research results are published in authoritative academic journals and Chinese core journals ie. Nature, Science, New England of Journal of Medicine, Lancet Infectious Diseases, Nature Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, eLife, PNAS, PLOS Pathogens. 

6. Nurturing a group of specialized talents. The research results have been awarded a provincial first prize for natural science and a first prize for scientific and technological progress. Some of the results have been reported on CCTV and other important domestic and international media.