Title
A novel SARS-CoV-2 related coronavirus in bats from Cambodia
Author(s)
Delaune, Deborah; Hul, Vibol; Karlsson, Erik A.; Hassanin, Alexandre; Ou, Tey Putita; Baidaliuk, Artem; Gámbaro, Fabiana; Prot, Matthieu; Tu, Vuong Tan; Chea, Sokha; Keatts, Lucy; Mazet, Jonna; Johnson, Christine K.; Buchy, Philippe; Dussart, Philippe; Goldstein, Tracey; Simon-Lorière, Etienne; Duong, Veasna
Published
2021
Publisher
Nature Communications
Abstract
Knowledge of the origin and reservoir of the coronavirus responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is still fragmentary. To date, the closest relatives to SARS-CoV-2 have been detected in Rhinolophus bats sampled in the Yunnan province, China. Here we describe the identification of SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses in two Rhinolophus shameli bats sampled in Cambodia in 2010. Metagenomic sequencing identifies nearly identical viruses sharing 92.6% nucleotide identity with SARS-CoV-2. Most genomic regions are closely related to SARS-CoV-2, with the exception of a region of the spike, which is not compatible with human ACE2-mediated entry. The discovery of these viruses in a bat species not found in China indicates that SARS-CoV-2 related viruses have a much wider geographic distribution than previously reported, and suggests that Southeast Asia represents a key area to consider for future surveillance for coronaviruses.
Keywords
Epidemiology; Metagenomics; Molecular evolution; SARS-CoV-2
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PUB27172