Khaberni - Scientists from the United States and Japan have discovered a new coronavirus in Brazil, sharing many of the key features with the virus that caused the global "COVID-19" pandemic.
This discovery has raised concerns about the possibility of a new virus capable of infecting humans.
The virus, named BRZ batCoV, was found after capturing bats living in northern Brazil and analyzing their intestines. The analysis showed that the virus belongs to the same beta coronavirus group that includes SARS-CoV-2, SARS, and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
The discovery highlights that the BRZ batCoV possesses a furin cleavage site, a part that enables the virus to infect humans, and differs from the SARS-CoV-2 site by only one amino acid. However, no human infections with this virus have been recorded so far.
The study showed that the new virus was discovered in a single bat of the species Pteronotus parnellii, which is common throughout South America. It is likely that other bats are also infected, but not enough samples were taken to verify this.
The researchers pointed out that the results demonstrate how a new coronavirus can emerge in nature with the potential to transmit to humans. They said in their research paper published as a preliminary version on bioRxiv: "This discovery sheds light on the role of bats as potential reservoirs for viruses related to zoonotic emergence, that is, the transmission of the virus from animals to humans."
They added: "Given the importance of the furin cleavage site, these results provide important insights into the evolutionary potentials and zoonotic risks of the bat coronavirus BRZ batCoV."
This is the first time that a beta coronavirus other than SARS-CoV-2 has been discovered in South American bats.
