Par SudOuest.fr
Published on 09/24/2022 at 10:03
Khosta-2, a virus close to Covid-19, was discovered in Russia. It might infect humans and resist coronavirus vaccines. Scientists call for the development of universal vaccines once morest this type of virus
A new virus close to Covid-19 intrigues international scientists. According to a study by researchers at Washington State University released on Thursday, September 22 in the journal PLoS Pathogensit was discovered on bats in Russia.
Named Khosta-2, it belongs to the “sarbecovirus” family, the same subcategory of coronavirus as le Covid-19with which he exhibits “troubling characteristics”.
A potential threat
As reported West France, most of the hundreds of sarbecoviruses discovered in recent years are not capable of infecting human cells. This appeared to be the case for Khosta 1 and 2, discovered near Russia’s Sochi National Park in 2020, according to the study.
But the latest research is less reassuring. Khosta-2 would be able to infect humans and evade antibodies once morest Covid-19. “Our research demonstrates that sarbecoviruses […] pose a threat to global health and vaccination campaigns once morest Sars-CoV-2 said Michael Letko, virologist and study author. According to him, it is necessary to develop new vaccines that would target all these types of viruses.
