A new coronavirus, discovered in bats in Brazil, has shown remarkable similarities to the deadly MERS-CoV scientists have revealed.
Although its risk to humans remains unclear, the findings have prompted further investigations into the potential threat posed by the novel virus.
Researchers from São Paulo and Ceará, working alongside colleagues from Hong Kong University (HKU), identified the new coronavirus and found that it shares about 72 per cent of its genetic sequence with the Mers-CoV genome. The spike protein, which enables the virus to attach to host cells, showed a 71.74 per cent similarity to that of the Mers virus.
PhD candidate Bruna Stefanie Silvério, who authored the study, explained, "Right now we aren’t sure it can infect humans, but we detected parts of the virus’s spike protein [which binds to mammalian cells to start an infection] suggesting potential interaction with the receptor used by Mers-CoV."
The study, published in the *Journal of Medical Virology*, involved screening 423 oral and rectal swabs from 16 bat species. The researchers identified seven coronaviruses from five different bat species in Fortaleza, a city in northeastern Brazil. The new virus exhibited high similarities to Mers-related coronaviruses found in both humans and camels.
Ricardo Durães-Carvalho, another author of the study, added, "This monitoring helps identify circulating viruses and risks of transmission to other animals, and even to humans."
Evidence of genetic recombination was also observed, suggesting that the virus may be evolving rapidly. The findings underscore the significant genetic diversity of coronaviruses and highlight the ongoing recombination events among bat viruses in Brazil.
Dr Durães-Carvalho further emphasised the importance of continuous surveillance, stating, “Bats are important viral reservoirs and should therefore be submitted to continuous epidemiological surveillance.”
