A Greater mouse-eared bat is seen at the vault of an old brewery in Frankfurt an der Oder, eastern Germany, on January 17, 2014. Once a year, conservationists inspect the vault to count the animals. Around twelve bat species hibernate in the protected cellar.
A new coronavirus which may be able to spread to humans has been discovered by Chinese-linked scientists.
Brazilian researchers and colleagues from Hong Kong detected a strain in bats that is closely related to MERS, which kills about 35% of those it infects. The virus’ spike protein, used to trigger an infection, means it can likely infect human cells.
It is now being exported to China alongside six other viruses that were discovered to be tested to find out if they can infect human cells. MERS is a contagious respiratory illness spread from animals to humans and from humans to humans.
Lead researcher Dr Bruna Silverio, from the University of Sao Paulo, said: “Right now, we aren't sure it can infect humans. But we detected parts of the virus' spike protein (which binds to mammalian cells) suggesting potential interaction with the receptor used by MERS-CoV.”
MERS can cause fevers, coughing, shortness of breath, diarrhea and vomiting, and it can be fatal in severe cases.
There is no vaccine for the virus. Two patients in the US tested positive for MERS in May 2014, after they travelled from the Middle East.
The virus has caused 943 deaths worldwide, and there have been 2613 reported cases.
During initial research, scientists took over 400 oral and rectal swabs from 15 species of bats in Brazil. The viruses were found in a velvety free-tailed bat and a great fruit-eating bat, both of which live in South America and Mexico.
Analysis revealed the seven coronavirus trains were genetically different from any known pathogens.
Virologist Dr Ricardo Durães-Carvalho said: “This monitoring helps identify circulating viruses and risks of transmission to other animals, and even to humans.”
The discovery comes three weeks after scientists in China revealed they had discovered another coronavirus that could spread to humans.
The HKU5-CoV-2 virus is very similar to the pandemic virus, sparking fears that another pandemic could occur.
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