Origins of COVID: Bats in Cambodia carry a parent of the coronavirus

Researchers have discovered a group of horseshoe bats who wear coronaviruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 disease and has left a dark mark on the world’s population for the past 18 months.

Researchers from the Institut Pasteur and the University of Laos have found the horseshoe bats living in a cave in Laos, a Southeast Asian country bordered by Myanmar and China.

• They published their findings in a new study, which is preprinted and has not been peer reviewed.
• The study is under consideration for publication in the medical journal Nature.

Through Reuters, tests confirmed that there was a close relative of the coronavirus among these bats, which were collected in 2010 and kept in freezers until now.

• “We hope that the result of this study can help the world better understand COVID-19,” said field coordinator Thavry Hoem Reuters.

Indeed, researchers have discovered a strain of coronavirus which could “be the closest known ancestor of Sars-CoV-2”, for South China morning post. The new ancestor viruses may have slight mutations that facilitated the rapid spread of the new coronavirus among humans.

• “These viruses may have contributed to the origin of Sars-CoV-2 and may inherently pose a future risk of direct transmission to humans,” the researchers said, according to South China morning post.

Bats are often carriers of coronavirus without symptoms, so it is difficult to identify them. However, they could be transferred to humans or other animals, which can lead to “devastating” results, according to Reuters.