After the SARS-CoV-2 virus became the protagonist of a global pandemic in 2020, the study of animals that could act as reservoirs for the virus has been constant. This has led to the study of a great diversity of insectivorous bats of the genus Rhinolophusthe so-called horseshoe bats.
A group of Russian virologists was at it when they found and genetically described two new viruses related to SARS-CoV-2. These are two sarbecoviruses found in the feces and in the mouth of greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) and minor (Rhinolophus hipposideros) of southern Russia. They called them Khosta-1 and Khosta-2. And, since then, they have not taken their eyes off them.
Lately they have detected in them some traits that are cause for concern. Specifically, a team of US researchers has confirmed that the Khosta-2 virus, like SARS-CoV-2, has a preference for the ACE2 receptor and can use the S protein to infect human cells. It’s bad news.
Bats and coronavirus, an ancient relationship
Bats are the reservoir hosts for three of the ten groups of viruses of pandemic concern: henipaviruses (Nipah virus and Hendra virus), filoviruses (Ebola virus and Marburg virus), and coronaviruses. Horseshoe bats are widely distributed in Asia, Europe, and North Africa and are considered a major natural reservoir and source of zoonotic coronaviruses.
In the last two decades, three coronaviruses with ancestral origins in bats have emerged that have caused widespread outbreaks in humans. These include severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the covid-19 pandemic, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which caused an epidemic outbreak in 2002. Both viruses belong to the subgenre Sarbecovirus of the genre Betacoronavirus of the family Coronaviridae.
In reality, coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that can infect a wide variety of animals, including of course humans. Since the first report of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in 1937, numerous coronaviruses have been isolated and/or identified in various animal species, as well as in humans.
Bats are the second most diverse order of mammals, with more than 1,400 species, and harbor an exceptional diversity of coronaviruses with ancient viral lineages distributed across the six bat-inhabited continents. More than 4,800 bat coronavirus sequences have been detected, representing more than 30% of all sequenced bat viruses, although the true diversity of bat coronaviruses is probably much higher.
Why should we care about Khosta-2?
Emerging diseases caused by coronaviruses of probable origin in bats are a source of concern because they have disrupted global health and economies in recent times. Evidence suggests that some coronaviruses could infect people directly and that their spread is more frequent than previously believed.
The two new coronaviruses found in Russia, which belong to the subgenus Sarbecovirus like SARS-CoV-2, deserve special attention. On the one hand, various analyzes have determined that, although Khosta-1 represents a low risk to humans, the Khosta-2 virus has certain worrying features. Among them, being resistant to monoclonal antibodies, serum from people vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 and serum from people who had been infected by the omicron variant.
In addition, as we have already pointed out, like SARS-CoV-2, it has a preference for the ACE2 receptor and can use the S protein to infect human cells.
Khosta-2 appears to lack some of the genes involved in pathogenesis in humans. But there is a risk of recombination with other nearby viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, and of becoming a very dangerous virus for humans. Emerging diseases caused by coronaviruses of probable origin in bats are a huge source of concern.
This finding confirms that sarbecoviruses circulating in wildlife outside of Asia also pose a threat to global health and to ongoing vaccination campaigns against SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, it is necessary to develop universal vaccines that protect against coronaviruses in general, and not only against the known variants of SARS-CoV-2.
Each zoonotic spillover of a new coronavirus represents an opportunity for evolutionary adaptation and further spread. Therefore, prevention programs are essential. Obtaining a pancoronavirus vaccine is a challenge that, if achieved, would be one of the greatest achievements related to global health.
Raúl Rivas González, Professor of Microbiology, University of Salamanca
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.
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