Detection and Characterization of Bat Sarbecovirus Phylogenetically Related to SARS-CoV-2, Japan

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 26; no. 12; pp. 3025 - 3029
• Main Authors: Murakami, Shin, Kitamura, Tomoya, Suzuki, Jin, Sato, Ryouta, Aoi, Toshiki, Fujii, Marina, Matsugo, Hiromichi, Kamiki, Haruhiko, Ishida, Hiroho, Takenaka-Uema, Akiko, Shimojima, Masayuki, Horimoto, Taisuke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.12.2020; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 - metabolism; Animals; Animals as carriers of disease; bat sarbecovirus; Bats; Bats as carriers of disease; betacoronavirus; Betacoronavirus - genetics; Betacoronavirus - physiology; Chiroptera - virology; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - veterinary; Coronavirus Infections - virology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Detection and Characterization of Bat Sarbecovirus Phylogenetically Related to SARS-CoV-2, Japan; Dispatch; Distribution; Epidemiology; Health aspects; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Identification and classification; Japan - epidemiology; Phylogeny; respiratory infections; Rhinolophus cornutus; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - genetics; SARS-CoV-2 - physiology; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - genetics; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - metabolism; Virus Internalization; Viruses; Japan; Asia; viruses; bat sarbecovirus; Japan; betacoronavirus; SARS; coronavirus; zoonoses; respiratory infections; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Rhinolophus cornutus; coronavirus disease
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2612.203386

Epidemiology of bat Betacoronavirus, subgenus Sarbecovirus is largely unknown, especially outside China. We detected a sarbecovirus phylogenetically related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 from Rhinolophus cornutus bats in Japan. The sarbecovirus' spike protein specifically recognizes angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 of R. cornutus, but not humans, as an entry receptor.