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Coronavirus China
ChinaScience

Bat viruses found in Laos ‘closest known ancestors’ to pandemic strain

  • Researchers say three coronaviruses identified in horseshoe bats in the north of the country share key similarity with Sars-CoV-2
  • Critical area is the genetic structure of the receptor binding domain, which enables the virus to latch onto and infect cells

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Horseshoe bats dwelling in limestone caves in northern Laos were found carrying coronaviruses that researchers say are “the closest ancestors of Sars-CoV-2 known to date”. Photo: TNS
Simone McCarthy
A team of Laotian and French researchers have discovered a significant clue as to how the virus responsible for Covid-19 evolved, with their findings showing bat viruses in Laos share a key similarity with the pandemic strain.

The scientists from Institut Pasteur and the National University of Laos collected samples in the Southeast Asian nation over six months from July last year.

They say three coronaviruses found in horseshoe bats living in limestone caves in the north of the country are the most similar identified so far to Sars-CoV-2 in a critical part of its genome – the region which enables it to latch onto and infect cells.

Known as the receptor binding domain, its genetic structure has been at the centre of questions within the scientific community because it differs from the bat virus considered to be the closest known ancestor of Sars-CoV-2.

But the latest findings identify new ancestors that may have lent Sars-CoV-2 this particular attribute.

When taking into account the similarities across the receptor binding domain, the new viruses – known as BANAL-52, BANAL-103 and BANAL-236 – are “the closest ancestors of Sars-CoV-2 known to date”, the researchers said in a paper uploaded to the Research Square preprint server on Friday ahead of peer review.

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