While carrying out surveillance of bat in Brazil , scientists have describe multiple different coronaviruses , including a brand - new one that they discovered was closely related to the computer virus behind Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ( MERS ) .
The discovery came as part of aprojectto describe unexampled pathogens with zoonotic potential – meaning they can rise fromanimals to world – in the promise of nippingnew diseasesin the bud before they can attain human race . Bats are view to be an important part of this surveillance , withseveralhuman - infecting viruses having been linked back to them .
“ Bats areimportant viral reservoirsand should therefore be submitted to uninterrupted epidemiologic surveillance , ” explained Ricardo Durães - Carvalho , one of the authors of the clause describing the young virus find , in astatement . “ This monitoring helps describe circulating viruses and hazard of transmittance to other animate being , and even to mankind . ”
As part of the monitoring unconscious process , Durães - Carvalho and colleagues took over 400 unwritten and rectal swob from 16 unlike bat mintage found in Brazil . They then screened the swab using multiple dissimilar techniques , admit RNA sequencing – coronaviruses are a radical of RNA viruses – and identified seven distinct coronaviruses .
From this analysis , one of the viruses was plant to have a genetic sequence with 71.9 percent law of similarity to that of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus ( MERS - CoV ) , the virus behind the often severe respiratory illness .
The investigator also find that the new computer virus ’s spike protein – a protein found on the surface of some viruses that tolerate them to latch onto and taint host cells – also shared strong law of similarity with that of MERS - CoV.
Since it was first identified in 2012 , theWorld Health Organization(WHO ) says there have been a total of 2,618 confirmed cases of MERS , and 945 deaths colligate with the unwellness . The WHO alsoconsidersMERS - CoV to be an emerging pathogen with pandemic potential .
Given its similarity , then , some might be concerned that thisnewly discovered virusis also capable of infect humans – but the answer , at least for now , is that we simply do n’t do it .
“ Right now we are n’t certain it can taint human beings , but we detected role of the computer virus ’s spike protein [ which binds to mammalian cell to embark on an infection ] suggest potential interaction with the sensory receptor used by MERS - CoV , ” say the study ’s first generator , Bruna Stefanie Silvério . “ To find out more , we plan to deal experiments in Hong Kong during the current year . ”
The subject is published in theJournal of Medical Virology .
