All articles tagged with #coronaviruses
A study warns that a subgroup of bat viruses called HKU5, related to MERS-CoV, is just one mutation away from potentially infecting humans, highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance and research to prevent future pandemics.
A survey of UK bat species has uncovered new coronaviruses, including some from the same group as SARS-CoV-2. Laboratory studies suggest that some share key adaptations with SARS-CoV-2 but are unlikely to spread in humans without further evolution. The researchers created pseudoviruses to gauge the threat posed by the UK coronaviruses and found that one sarbecovirus found in a lesser horseshoe bat had a spike protein that was able to infect human cells by attaching to a protein called ACE2, the same receptor used by SARS-CoV-2. However, the UK sarbecovirus's version of spike didn't attach nearly as strongly as SARS-CoV-2's, making it unlikely that the virus could readily infect people and spread.