A recently discovered virus in a Russian bat that is similar to SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, is likely capable of infecting humans and, if it does spread, would be resistant to current vaccines .
A team led by researchers from Washington State University’s Paul G. Allen School of Global Health found that the spike protein from the bat virus, called Khosta-2, can infect human cells and act against both monoclonal antibodies and monoclonal antibodies. resistant to. People vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. Both Khosta-2 and SARS-CoV-2 belong to the same subcategory known as Sarbecoviruses.
“Our research also shows that Sarbecoviruses are circulating in wildlife outside AsiaEven in places like western Russia where the Khosta-2 virus was found, TeaThey also represent a threat to global health. and the ongoing vaccination campaign against SARS-CoV-2″. Michael LetkoVirologist and corresponding author of the study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.
Letko explains that the discovery of Khosta-2 highlights the need to develop universal vaccines to protect against sarbecovirus in general, rather than the known forms of SARS-CoV-2.
“Right now, there are groups that are trying to find a vaccine that not only protects against the next version of SARS-2, but actually protects us from sarbecoviruses in general. Unfortunately, many of our current vaccines are designed for specific viruses that we know infect human cells or that pose the greatest risk of infecting us. But this is a list that is constantly changing. We need to expand the design of these vaccines to protect against all sarbecoviruses,
Although hundreds of sarbecoviruses have been discovered in recent years, mainly in bats in Asia, most are not capable of infecting human cells. Khosta-1 and Khosta-2 viruses were discovered in Russian bats in late 2020 and initially pose no threat to humanss,
“Genetically, these strange Russian viruses were similar to some others discovered in other parts of the world, but because they did not resemble SARS-CoV-2, no one really thought they were too excited to be. were for anything. But when we looked at them further, we were very surprised to learn that they can infect human cells. This slightly changes our understanding of these viruses, where they come from and which areas are of concern,” says the expert.
found two viruses
Letko teamed up with environmentalist Stephanie Seifert and immunologist Bonnie Gunno To study two newly discovered viruses. They determined that Khosta-1 posed a low risk to humans, but Khosta-2 showed some worrying features,
The team found that, like SARS-CoV-2, Khosta-2 can use its spike protein to infect cells by binding to a receptor protein, called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), Which is found on all cells, human cells. They then set out to determine whether existing vaccines protect against the new virus.
Vaccinated against COVID-19 using serum obtained from human populations, the team observed that Khosta-2 not neutralized by existing vaccines, They also tested the serum of people who were infected with the Omicron variant, but the antibodies were also ineffective.
Fortunately, the authors note that the new virus lacks some of the genes known to be involved in pathogenesis in humans. However, there is a risk that Khosta-2 will be reinfected with other viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.
“When you see that SARS-2 has the potential to spread from humans to wildlife, and then there are other viruses like Khosta-2 waiting in animals with these properties that we really don’t want them to have, it Sets up this scenario. In one where you keep rolling the dice until they combine to make a potentially dangerous virus,” Letko is concerned.
