What causes a trans-species jump in viruses?

Answer 1

naturally, a virus being semi-alive, will adapt, as the rest of the world keeps spinning, to avoid extinction. who knows, maybe the influenza we know today, was a virus that made a trans-species jump from Dinosaurs to birds millions of years ago; and thousands of years ago, it jumped from birds to humans. Survival is the basic force of life, even for a virus.

However, trans-species jumps take millions, maybe even billions of years of evolution. The frequency of trans-species jump in the last century (AIDS, from monkeys to humans, H1N1 influenza virus from swine to humans, monkeypox from monkeys to humans) leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth...

human meddlin' perhaps?

-Abelardo Lopez III

if you have any questions, you may contact me at Alopezz16@gmail.com.

Answer 2

A trans-species jump in viruses, also known as zoonotic spillover, occurs when a virus that typically infects one species is transmitted to another species. This can happen through various means such as direct contact with an infected animal, consumption of infected animal products, or environmental factors that bring humans and animals into close proximity. Mutations in the virus can also play a role in enabling cross-species transmission.