GENEVA, January 27. /TASS/.The question of whether the NeoCov coronavirus, recently discovered in bats in South Africa, poses a threat to humans, requires further study, according to the World Health Organization.
"Whether the virus detected in the study will pose a risk for humans will require further study," the organization has told TASS, adding that it "works closely" with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP)in order to "monitor and respond to the threat of emerging zoonotic viruses."
Chinese researchers earlier detected a new type of coronavirus among bats in South Africa. According to reports, it is closely related to the Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS) and can enter cells in a manner similar to that of SARS-CoV-2.
The WHO told TASS that its experts were aware of this research, and "thank the researchers for sharing their findings in a preprint."
"Animals, particularly wild animals are the source of more than 75% of all emerging infectious diseases in humans, many of which are caused by novel viruses. Coronaviruses are often found in animals, including in bats which have been identified as a natural reservoir of many of these viruses," the global body said.
Chinese study
According to Chinese scientists, NeoCov can penetrate human cells in the same way as SARS-CoV-2. It is only one mutation away from becoming dangerous for humans, researchers said in a paper shared via the bioRxiv electronic library.
"In this study, we unexpectedly found that NeoCoV and its close relative, PDF-2180-CoV, can efficiently use some types of bat Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and, less favorably, human ACE2 for entry," the paper says.
"Our study demonstrates the first case of ACE2 usage in MERS-related viruses, shedding light on a potential bio-safety threat of the human emergence of an ACE2 using "MERS-CoV-2" with both high fatality and transmission rate," it says.
Notably, the infection could not be cross-neutralized by antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 or MERS-CoV, the Chinese research team said.