‘Relative’ of Sars-CoV-2 is found in bats in Cambodia

Another “relative” of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid, has been found in Southeast Asia. The newest finding, with a similarity in 92.6% of the genome, is actually not all that new.

The analyzes were performed on material collected in 2010 from two horseshoe bats Rhinolophus shameli in Cambodia.

Despite the high percentage of similarity between coronaviruses, there is a difference in the part of the genome related to protein S — which allows, in Sars-CoV-2, the invasion of human cells. In the case of the new relative, the area is not compatible with the recipients of human beings and the research data do not indicate potential for infection.

In any case, the researchers, who published the study in the journal Nature Communications, on Tuesday (9), point out that more evaluations are needed to understand the possible range of hosts, including humans, of this subline.

A curious point is that, despite the similarity between the coronavirus found in Cambodia and Sars-CoV-2, the species of bats where the virus was found does not inhabit China. This would indicate, according to the scientists, that relatives of the causer of Covid are more geographically distributed than previously imagined. And with that, “Southeast Asia represents a key area for coronavirus surveillance.”

By 2020, researchers had already announced that they had found viruses similar to Sars-CoV-2 stored in freezers in Cambodia as well as Japan. It remained to be seen, however, how genetically close to the cause of Covid these viruses actually were.

These aren’t the only relatives of Sars-CoV-2 found around the world. Among the others, there are even closer cousins, such as those found in bats in Laos and in a cave in Yunnan province, China.

The coronavirus found in Laos would have a genetic similarity of 96.8%, and that of Yunnan, 96.2%.

Although there is still some degree of debate on the subject, scientists claim, based on available evidence, including the largest evolutionary study of coronaviruses, that the hypothesis of the virus’ natural origin is the most likely. Despite this, the group of animals that could have transmitted Sars-CoV-2 to humans has not yet been found.

How the virus jumped between species is also unknown. Among the possibilities are: the natural passage from a host to humans — the “spillover” or “jump” between species, which is already known in other coronaviruses — and an indirect contagion through an animal created and traded.

“Our current understanding of the geographic distribution of Sars-CoV and Sars-CoV-2 strains possibly reflects a lack of sampling in Southeast Asia,” say the researchers, citing Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam where they were found, so far, the samples with the genome closest to the cause of Covid.