Three covid-like viruses found in bats in Laos
17 февраля 2022, 01:17
In northern Laos, scientists have identified three viruses in bats that are genetically similar to COVID-19. Infected animals live in karst caves.
Scientists point out that all identified viruses can enter human cells, according to the journal Nature.
“The RBDs of these viruses differ from SARS-CoV-2 viruses by only one or two residues at the ACE2 junction, bind more efficiently to the hACE2 protein than the Wuhan strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated from early human cases”, - the study said.
In January, we recall, Chinese scientists discovered a new bat coronavirus NeoCov in South Africa. It poses a potential danger to humans - for its spread among people, one mutation is enough.