New Coronavirus Discovered in the UK – That’s Why You Shouldn’t Worry

Stay tuned: We have a good chance of looking at some alarming headlines. A new coronavirus associated with the virus that causes COVID-19 has been found in British horseshoe-shaped bats, but don’t worry at this time.

The discovery is explained in paper It’s important to note that it’s published on the Research Square preprint server, but hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet. This is due to the nature of the quick response of the investigation.

Called RhGB01 by the researchers who discovered it, the virus belongs to a family known as salvecovirus, the virus behind the current COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, and SARS in 2003. It also contains the SARS-CoV that caused the outbreak. .. There is a double distinction that it is the first SARS-related coronavirus found in the United Kingdom, as well as the first found in the turtle.

“Horseshoe bats are found in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, and the bats we tested are at the western end of the range.” explanation Professor Dianabel, an expert in zoonotic diseases at the University of East Anglia, Faculty of Biological Sciences. The closest relatives of SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, have so far been found in horseshoe-shaped bats in the following locations: Laos When China, This finding “suggests their broader presence,” Bell said.

“Our findings highlight the need for strong genotyping of these types of viruses in bat populations around the world,” she said. “And raises an important question as to which other animals carry these types of viruses.”

According to Professor Andrew Cunningham of the Zoological Society of London, there is no reason to worry, so here’s the good news. The newly discovered virus is “not a threat to humans.” Unlike SARS-CoV-2, which has a very good ability to infect humans, Produced some conspiracy theories For the past two years, RhGB01 is “incompatible with its ability to infect human cells,” he said. Its receptor-binding domain, the portion of the virus that attaches to and infects host cells, poses a threat to SARS-CoV-2.

This may be one of the reasons why it took so long to discover a new virus. Bell explained that he was “almost certainly” “very long, perhaps thousands of years” in bats, but “this is the first time such a test has been done.” I didn’t know it before because it’s there. British bats. “

“We already know that many other mammalian species also have different coronaviruses,” she said. “This is the case of” seek and find “. “

However, there is one scenario where a new virus can be a big problem. That is when it mutates. Researchers warned that this could happen if a COVID-19-positive person passed the virus to a bat infected with RhGB01. Such bats would be a “crucible for viral mutations,” Cunningham said.

“If the RhGB01-infected bats we find are infected with SARS-CoV-2, there is a risk that these viruses will hybridize and emerge new viruses. [that could] … infects people, “he explained. “Preventing human-to-bat transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and reducing the chance of viral mutation is important for the current global mass vaccination campaign for this virus.”

Bell agreed. “People who come into contact with bats and their dung, such as bat rescuers and cave explorers, must wear proper PPE,” she warned. “To reduce the risk of mutations.”

According to researchers, this finding provides important insights into the precautionary measures needed when interacting with wildlife, even to help or rescue wildlife.

“Bat rehab personnel who take care of rescued animals and have been infected with SARS-CoV2 offer opportunities for genetic modification if they already have another salvecovirus,” Bell explains. Did. “People who handle bats and other wildlife need to be subject to strict global regulations.”