New batch of coronavirus found in bats: Research

Chinese researchers have found a new batch of coronavirus in bats. The group compiled 24 novel coronavirus genomes from different bat species. One of them, Rhinolophus pusillus virus RpYN06, was genetically similar to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

But, there were genetic differences in the spike protein, the knob-like structure that the virus uses when attaching to cells. The report was done by the researchers from the University of Shandong and was published in the journal Cell.

The researchers were searching for the origin of SARS-CoV-2 from May 2019 to November 2020. They collected 283 fecal samples, 109 oral swabs and 19 urine samples from the bats. These are small forest-dwelling bats in a tropical botanical garden and adjacent areas in the Yunnan province.

Bats host several viruses that can infect humans like the Hendra virus, Marburg virus and the Ebola virus. According to a World Health Organization report, SARS-COV-2 likely originated from a bat.