WIC1-CoV A Global Threat: New SARS-Like Virus Found In Bats May Infect Humans

A new virus called WIV1-CoV similar to SARS may contaminate humans depriving the need of adaptation. The virus originates in Chinese horseshoe bats. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are now working on an initial barrier to prevent the outbreak.

Science Daily reports that the study is led by Ralph Baric, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology at UNC's Gillings School of Global Public Health. He and his team discovered that the new virus had the same receptor as SARS-CoV. They also found out that the virus can be reproduced in cultural human airway tissues and may jump directly to humans.

"The capacity of this group of viruses to jump into humans is greater than we originally thought," Vineet Menachery Ph.D. and the first author of the study said. "While other adaptations may be required to produce epidemic several viral strains circulating in bat populations here already overcome the barrier of replication in human cells and suggest reemergence as a distinct possibility."

The scholars also discovered that the treatment for SARS such as the antibodies are found to be effective for humans and animal tissue can also treat against WIV1-CoV. On the other hand, the limitations to treat using these antibodies are similar with ZMapp, which are the antibodies that are used to cure Ebola.

"This type of work generates information about novel viruses circulating in animal populations and develop resources to help define the threat these pathogens may pose to the human population," Baric said. "It's important to note that it's not an approach that's limited to SARS or SARS-like viruses. It can be applied to other emerging pathogens to helping us prepare the next emergent virus, whether it is MERS, the Zika virus or something we haven't even heard of yet," he concluded.

WebMD states that SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a respiratory health condition that contaminated people in Asia, Europe and North America in 2001 and 2003. Its first outbreak infected 8,096 people and about 774 people died. It spreads by having contact with infected saliva or drips from coughing.

Treatments of SARS include isolation to prevent the disease from spreading, taking medication such as antiviral medicine ribavirin and corticosteroids. Other treatments are soon to be discovered by the researchers.