Tweet
05 April 2022
Microbiology Society
In a paper published in The Journal of General Virology today, researchers at The Pirbright Institute have confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 variants are able to gain entry to cells of more species than the original virus.
The original SARS-CoV-2 wildtype virus, which emerged in China in 2019, is understood to have come from bats, but since then there have been multiple reports of infections of other species, from pet dogs to mink and deer. In their recent paper, the Pirbright team have confirmed that the emerging variants of the virus that have arisen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic are better able to enter cells expressing the receptors of other species than the original wildtype virus. ...
... In their paper published today, the research group has used a new combination of species ACE2 receptors and a wider range of variants than before. Testing mice, rats, ferret, hamster and civet receptors, they were able to conclude that changes in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 variants are able to gain entry to cells expressing a wider range of species receptors than the original virus. This is important as we want to know which animals are at risk of getting ill, and which species are at risk of becoming a new reservoir for the virus, possibly leading to new variants. ...
Microbiology Society
In a paper published in The Journal of General Virology today, researchers at The Pirbright Institute have confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 variants are able to gain entry to cells of more species than the original virus.
The original SARS-CoV-2 wildtype virus, which emerged in China in 2019, is understood to have come from bats, but since then there have been multiple reports of infections of other species, from pet dogs to mink and deer. In their recent paper, the Pirbright team have confirmed that the emerging variants of the virus that have arisen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic are better able to enter cells expressing the receptors of other species than the original wildtype virus. ...
... In their paper published today, the research group has used a new combination of species ACE2 receptors and a wider range of variants than before. Testing mice, rats, ferret, hamster and civet receptors, they were able to conclude that changes in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 variants are able to gain entry to cells expressing a wider range of species receptors than the original virus. This is important as we want to know which animals are at risk of getting ill, and which species are at risk of becoming a new reservoir for the virus, possibly leading to new variants. ...
