Written By: Satata Karmakar | Published : June 14, 2021 9:15 AM IST
24 New Coronaviruses Found In Bats In China: Read The Details Here
At a time when the world is fighting its biggest battle against deadly coronavirus in the ferocious second wave, the Chinese researchers said that they have detected a batch of new coronaviruses in bats. According to the reports, around 24 new coronaviruses were found in the bats which includes one (Rhinolophus pusillus virus) that may be the second-closest yet (genetically) to the COVID-19 virus that has caused the pandemic.
The researchers in China also stated that their discoveries show the number of new coronaviruses that are present in the bats, and how these have the potential to spread to the human body causing health complications. In a report published in the journal Cell, the Chinese researchers from Shandong University said, "In total, we assembled 24 novel coronavirus genomes from different bat species, including four SARS-CoV-2 like coronaviruses."
In 2020, a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was identified in Wuhan, China the causative agent of a pneumonia outbreak. This eventually spread to the other parts of the world, following which the WHO termed the outbreak as a pandemic. According to the Chinese researchers, they studied a batch of samples collected from the bats which showed them that one of the viruses was very similar, genetically to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that's causing the ongoing pandemic.
They further wrote: "Together with the SARS-CoV-2 related virus collected from Thailand in June 2020, these results clearly demonstrate that viruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2 continue to circulate in bat populations, and in some regions might occur at a relatively high frequency."
The origin of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has remained a mystery even after over 1.5 years the first case of infection was reported in the Wuhan city of China. The Origin of SARS-CoV-2 is the virus agent that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome in the human body. The origin of the COVID-19 causing virus is yet to be ascertained by the researchers, however, they have stated that the virus is most likely of zoonotic origin, from bats or another closely related mammal.
(With inputs from ANI)
