Scientists discover new coronavirus in UK bats

This important new finding was brought about by collaborative research by the University of East Anglia (UEA), Zoological Society of London (ZSL), and Public Health of England (PHE). ). The study on this discovery was published in Scientific Reports, on July 19th.

However, so far there is no evidence that this new virus has been transmitted to humans, nor that this will happen. no future, unless mutations occur.

The UEA researchers collected stool samples from at least 50 horseshoe bats in Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wales and sent them for viral analysis to the PHE.

Thus, it was revealed that the genome sequence found in one of the bat feces samples belonged to a new coronavirus, which the researchers named RhGB01.

This was the first time that a SARS-related coronavirus was discovered in this bat species and within the UK.

The horseshoe bat inhabits several continents, including Europe, Africa, Asia, and also Australia. Scientists believe that this species should have been carrying the virus in question for a long time, but this is only now known, as it is only now that the animals have been tested.

However, it is important to re-emphasize that this new virus is unlikely to pose a direct threat to humans unless it mutates, which in turn can occur if a human infected with COVID-19 passes the infection to a bat infected with RhGB01.

Professor Diana Bell, an expert on emerging zoonotic diseases at the UEA School of Biological Sciences, said that “similar viruses have been found in other species of horseshoe bats in China, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe.”

Professor Andrew Cunningham of the Zoological Society of London reported that the recent finding highlights that “the natural distribution of viruses and opportunities for recombination through intermediate host co-infection have been underestimated. […] This UK virus is not a threat to humans because the receptor binding domain (RBD) – the part of the virus that binds to host cells to infect them – is not compatible with the ability to infect human cells”, cited in the article.

However, the professor points out that “the problem is that any bat carrying a SARS-like coronavirus can act as a melting pot for virus mutations. So if a bat with RhGB01 infection […] infected com o SARS-CoV-2, there would be a risk that these viruses would hybridize and cause a new virus to emerge […] and thus be able to infect people”, cited in the article.

The discovery described was made by ecology student Ivana Murphy, from the UEA School of Biological Sciences, who collected feces from 53 bats as part of her research for her dissertation last year. The student underwent several COVID-19 tests to avoid contamination. Jack Crook conducted the genetic analyzes in partnership with other PHE researchers. The animals were released as soon as their stool samples were collected.

Ivana, however, said she was worried because she fears “that people might suddenly start fearing and chasing bats, which is the last thing I would want, and that would be unnecessary. As with all wildlife, if left alone they pose no threat.”

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