tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Nature. 2020 May 7. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2313-x. [Epub ahead of print]
Isolation of SARS-CoV-2-related coronavirus from Malayan pangolins.
Xiao K[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Zhai J[SUP]3[/SUP], Feng Y[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Zhou N[SUP]3[/SUP], Zhang X[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Zou JJ[SUP]4[/SUP], Li N[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Guo Y[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Li X[SUP]1[/SUP], Shen X[SUP]1[/SUP], Zhang Z[SUP]1[/SUP], Shu F[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Huang W[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Li Y[SUP]5[/SUP], Zhang Z[SUP]5[/SUP], Chen RA[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]6[/SUP], Wu YJ[SUP]3[/SUP], Peng SM[SUP]3[/SUP], Huang M[SUP]3[/SUP], Xie WJ[SUP]3[/SUP], Cai QH[SUP]3[/SUP], Hou FH[SUP]4[/SUP], Chen W[SUP]7[/SUP], Xiao L[SUP]8,[/SUP][SUP]9[/SUP], Shen Y[SUP]10,[/SUP][SUP]11[/SUP].
Author information
Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 poses unprecedent challenges to global health[SUP]1[/SUP]. The new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, shares high sequence identity to SARS-CoV and a bat coronavirus RaTG13[SUP]2[/SUP]. While bats may be the reservoir host for various coronaviruses[SUP]3,4[/SUP], whether SARS-CoV-2 has other hosts remains ambiguous. In this study, one coronavirus isolated from a Malayan pangolin showed 100%, 98.6%, 97.8% and 90.7% amino acid identity with SARS-CoV-2 in the E, M, N and S genes, respectively. In particular, the receptor-binding domain within the S protein of the Pangolin-CoV is virtually identical to that of SARS-CoV-2, with one noncritical amino acid difference. Results of comparative genomic analysis suggest that SARS-CoV-2 might have originated from the recombination of a Pangolin-CoV-like virus with a Bat-CoV-RaTG13-like virus. The Pangolin-CoV was detected in 17 of 25 Malayan pangolins analyzed. Infected pangolins showed clinical signs and histological changes, and circulating antibodies against Pangolin-CoV reacted with the S protein of SARS-CoV-2. The isolation of a coronavirus that is highly related to SARS-CoV-2 in pangolins suggests that they have the potential to act as the intermediate host of SARS-CoV-2. The newly identified coronavirus in the most-trafficked mammal could represent a future threat to public health if wildlife trade is not effectively controlled.
PMID:32380510DOI:10.1038/s41586-020-2313-x
Isolation of SARS-CoV-2-related coronavirus from Malayan pangolins.
Xiao K[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Zhai J[SUP]3[/SUP], Feng Y[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Zhou N[SUP]3[/SUP], Zhang X[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Zou JJ[SUP]4[/SUP], Li N[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Guo Y[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Li X[SUP]1[/SUP], Shen X[SUP]1[/SUP], Zhang Z[SUP]1[/SUP], Shu F[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Huang W[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]2[/SUP], Li Y[SUP]5[/SUP], Zhang Z[SUP]5[/SUP], Chen RA[SUP]1,[/SUP][SUP]6[/SUP], Wu YJ[SUP]3[/SUP], Peng SM[SUP]3[/SUP], Huang M[SUP]3[/SUP], Xie WJ[SUP]3[/SUP], Cai QH[SUP]3[/SUP], Hou FH[SUP]4[/SUP], Chen W[SUP]7[/SUP], Xiao L[SUP]8,[/SUP][SUP]9[/SUP], Shen Y[SUP]10,[/SUP][SUP]11[/SUP].
Author information
Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 poses unprecedent challenges to global health[SUP]1[/SUP]. The new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, shares high sequence identity to SARS-CoV and a bat coronavirus RaTG13[SUP]2[/SUP]. While bats may be the reservoir host for various coronaviruses[SUP]3,4[/SUP], whether SARS-CoV-2 has other hosts remains ambiguous. In this study, one coronavirus isolated from a Malayan pangolin showed 100%, 98.6%, 97.8% and 90.7% amino acid identity with SARS-CoV-2 in the E, M, N and S genes, respectively. In particular, the receptor-binding domain within the S protein of the Pangolin-CoV is virtually identical to that of SARS-CoV-2, with one noncritical amino acid difference. Results of comparative genomic analysis suggest that SARS-CoV-2 might have originated from the recombination of a Pangolin-CoV-like virus with a Bat-CoV-RaTG13-like virus. The Pangolin-CoV was detected in 17 of 25 Malayan pangolins analyzed. Infected pangolins showed clinical signs and histological changes, and circulating antibodies against Pangolin-CoV reacted with the S protein of SARS-CoV-2. The isolation of a coronavirus that is highly related to SARS-CoV-2 in pangolins suggests that they have the potential to act as the intermediate host of SARS-CoV-2. The newly identified coronavirus in the most-trafficked mammal could represent a future threat to public health if wildlife trade is not effectively controlled.
PMID:32380510DOI:10.1038/s41586-020-2313-x