Coronavirus Found In 2 Indian Bats!

As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, researchers have found the presence of a different kind of coronavirus - Bat coronavirus (BtCoV) in two Bat species from Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, according to a first of its study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Twenty-five Bats of Rousettus and Pteropus species from Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu were found positive for BtCoV. "These Bat coronaviruses have no relation with SARS-CoV2 responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Pteropus Bat species were earlier found positive for Nipah virus in 2018 and 2019 in Kerala," said Dr Pragya D Yadav, Scientist at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune and also the first author of study.

"Bats are considered to be the natural reservoir for many viruses, of which some are potential human pathogens. In India, an association of Pteropus medius Bats with the Nipah virus was reported in the past. It is suspected that the recently emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) also has its association with Bats," the objective of the study titled 'Detection of coronaviruses in Pteropus and Rousettus species of Bats from different states of India' stated.

"Although CoVs in the subfamily coronavirinae do not usually produce clinical symptoms in their natural hosts (Bats), accidental transmission of these viruses to humans and other animals may result in respiratory, enteric, hepatic or neurologic diseases of variable severity. It is still not understood as to why only certain CoVs can infect people," the study said.

The scientists stressed on the need of proactive surveillance of zoonotic infections in Bats.