Could the Coronavirus pandemic, which is well under control, according to the WHO, experience a new twist? The question is open since a cousin of Sars-Cov-2, called Khosta-2, has just been discovered in bats in Russia, according to a study published this week.
According to the publication, this coronavirus was circulating as early as 2020. So far, nothing abnormal, these species of animals containing many viruses discovered over time. On the other hand, the latest research seems more worrying. According to experts, not only is this coronavirus able to replicate in humans, but it might also bypass the immune protection provided by current vaccines once morest Covid-19.
To reach this conclusion, the study authors checked whether the serum of patients vaccinated once morest Covid-19 neutralized Khosta-2. The result was negative.
“It is concerning that there are viruses circulating in nature that can bind to human receptors and are not neutralized by current vaccine responses”
admits Michael Letko, a professor at Washington State University, in remarks reported by the Time. The main author of the study reassures however: Khosta-2 does not seem to be able to cause serious forms in humans. However, the severity of a disease caused by a virus can change over time, as with Covid-19, by mutating. “When related coronaviruses enter the same animal and the same cells, they can then recombine and produce a new virus”warns Michael Letko.
“The concern is that Sras-Cov-2 might spread to animals infected with Khosta-2, recombine, and then infect human cells. They might be resistant to vaccine immunity and have more virulent factors”he continues, not knowing how to assess the probability that this “dark scenario” will occur.
