Scientists have discovered six new coronaviruses in three different species of bats in Myanmar.
The viruses are in the same family as the SARS CoV2 that causes COVID-19.
The six new viruses were discovered in the Horsefield’s leaf-nosed bat, the Great Asiatic yellow house bat, and the wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat.
According to the team, further studies will be needed to determine if the new viruses have ‘the potential for transmission across species to better understand the risks to human health.’
It was in December 2019 when Covid-19 first made headlines and has since infected almost all countries in the world.
As of April 16, there are more than 2 million confirmed cases of coronavirus globally with 134,677 fatalities.
But the United States has been hit the hardest by the virus with over 644,000 cases and 28,554 deaths.
Experts from the Smithsonian’s Global Health Program conducted the latest research hoping they will “understand the diversity of coronaviruses in bats and inform global efforts to detect, prevent and respond to infectious diseases that may threaten public health, particularly in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
In a statement, Marc Valitutto, lead author of the study, said: “Viral pandemics remind us how closely human health is connected to the health of wildlife and the environment.
“Worldwide, humans are interacting with wildlife with increasing frequency, so the more we understand about these viruses in animals—what allows them to mutate and how they spread to other species—the better we can reduce their pandemic potential.”
Researchers gathered fecal and saliva samples from 11 species of bats in Myanmar. Over 750 samples were tested and compared to known coronaviruses, leading to six new ones.
The six coronaviruses were named PREDICT-CoV-92, -93 and -96 (found in leaf-nosed bat), PREDICT-CoV-47 and PREDICT-CoV 82 (found in wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat), and PREDICT-CoV-90, which were found in the Asiatic yellow house bat.
Suzan Murray, co-author of the study and director of the Smithsonian’s Global Health Program, said: “Many coronaviruses may not pose a risk to people, but when we identify these diseases early on in animals, at the source, we have a valuable opportunity to investigate the potential threat.
“Vigilant surveillance, research and education are the best tools we have to prevent pandemics before they occur.”
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