New pandemic alert? BRZ batCoV discovered in Brazil’s moustached bats, revealing natural origins of Covid-like virus |
Scientists have identified a previously unknown coronavirus in Brazilian bats, named BRZ batCoV, which carries a genetic element strikingly similar to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. This virus was discovered in a ‘moustached’ bat species that is widespread across Latin America, suggesting that it may have been circulating undetected for some time due to…