Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 may be more widespread than previously thought
Researchers in Cambodia, France and the United States have conducted a study indicating that viruses related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – are far more geographically widespread than previously thought.
The closest relatives to SARS-CoV-2 that have been detected to date were identified in Rhinolophus bats sampled in Yunnan province, China.
Now, Veasna Duong from the International Network of Pasteur Institutes in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and colleagues have identified two coronaviruses in Rhinolophus bats that were sampled in Cambodia.
These viruses, which were identified in archived samples from 2010, share 92.6% genomic identity with SARS-CoV-2. Some genomic sections are closer to SARS-CoV-2 than any other related viruses discovered to date.