They have the sweet names of BANAL-103, BANAL-236 and BANAL-52. These are three viruses found in bats in northern Laos, with the particularity of being able to infect humans, like SARS-CoV-2. If so far other coronaviruses have been discovered in this animal, none had a binding domain that effectively recognizes the receptor carried by human cells, explains the Pasteur Institute.
New risks of epidemics?
Their genome is similar to the virus responsible for the Covid-19 crisis: “especially in a key domain of the spike protein (known as Spike protein), which allows the virus to bind to host cells (…) the researchers demonstrated a similar affinity of these three bat coronaviruses and the SARS-CoV-2 virus for the human ACE2 receptor, as well asan ability to enter human cells via this same receptor.“BANAL-236 has also reproduced in human cells in the laboratory.
This finding is interesting because it goes in the direction of the hypothesis which consists in thinking that the Covid-19 crisis would have its source in bats. That said, these viruses would not have the ability to ensure the fusion between their membrane and that of the human cell, and could not enter the respiratory epithelial cells. The researchers nevertheless point out that this indicates that other viruses could “represent a risk to human health”.
Source : Pasteur Institute, February 16, 2022.
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