Khosta-2: New Covid-like virus found in Russian bats
Online Desk
A new SARS-CoV-2-like virus capable of infecting humans has been found in Russian bats, a study found. The virus which is resistant to current vaccines against COVID-19 was found by a team led by researchers at Washington State University (WSU), US. The researchers found spike proteins from the bat virus, named Khosta-2, and said that the virus can infect human cells, Hindustan Times reported.
Here's all you need to know about Khosta-2, a new Covid-like virus found in Russian bats:
1. Khosta-2 and SARS- CoV-2 belong to the same sub-category of coronaviruses known as sarbecoviruses.
2. Khosta-2 poses a threat to the ongoing vaccine campaigns against Covid, the study said.
3. The study highlighted the need to develop universal vaccines to protect against sarbecoviruses.
5. Both did not appear to be a threat to humans initially, the researchers said.
6. The researchers said that Khosta-1 posed low risk to humans, but Khosta-2 demonstrated some troubling traits.
7. There is a potent risk of Khosta-2 recombining with a second virus like SARS-CoV-2.
