The beleaguered civet and its possible link to SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus is back again in the headlines.

The animal -- based on research -- is still believed to be the main carrier of the deadly virus, experts said in Guangzhou, capital city of South China's Guangdong Province.

Some 10 months have passed since SARS cases cropped up for the second time in China, and the animal remains banned from eateries in Guangdong Province.

The civets, also called the masked palm cat, are the dominant carrier of the fatal coronavirus, researchers at a joint gathering, consisting of epidemiologists and related experts from across the China said.

Zhong Nanshan, an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), said that "some 40 percent of the Guangdong origin civets have tested positive for the SARS anti-body,

Lab testing was completed on 103 samples collected from civets from across China.

However, samples from northern parts of China, including from North China's Hebei and East China's Jiangxi Provinces, tested negative.

Therefore, some experts doubt the cats' link to the SARS coronavirus.

Zhong emphasized the civets may be one of the main carriers, indicating the possibility of other carriers.

He also pointed out the civets may not be the origin of the virus.

The origin and the transmission of the virus from animals to humans remains a hypothesis among experts.

The cats have been banned in Guangdong Province since last spring. However, they are still considered acceptable animals for commercial use in the capital Beijing, according to Ministry of the Forestry regulations.

Ministry sources said no plans are afoot to change the current regulations.

(China Daily October 19, 2004)