While the Covid-19 pandemic is on the decline, an American study has revealed the discovery of a related virus, Khosta-2, on which current vaccines would have no effect. Further studies are needed to determine its virulence.
What is Khosta-2?
Khosta-2 is a virus similar to the coronavirus responsible for Covid-19. It was discovered on bats in western Russia. This new “Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (Sarbecovirus)” can infect human cells. This is revealed by a study conducted by researchers at Washington State University and published in the journal PLoS Pathogens.
Is this virus dangerous?
The results of the study indicate that the Khosta-2 virus is able to replicate in humans and that it could also circumvent the immune protection conferred by current vaccines against Covid-19. According to Professor Michael Letko, who led the study with his team, it is “concerning to see that there are viruses circulating in nature that can bind to human receptors and are not neutralized by current vaccine responses” . When related coronaviruses enter the same animal and the same cells, they can then recombine and produce a new virus, he explains.
Can Covid vaccines protect against Khosta-2?
The concern is that SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) could spread in animals infected with Khosta-2, recombine, and then infect human cells. “It could then be resistant to vaccine immunity and carry more virulent factors,” says Professor Letko.
According to him, research shows that viruses circulating in wildlife outside Asia also pose a threat to global health and ongoing vaccination campaigns against Covid-19.
One virus, several variants
Since its appearance at the end of 2019, Covid-19 has evolved a lot. The virus responsible for the disease has mutated to give rise to several more or less virulent and contagious variants. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron are the best known. The Omicron strain has mutated into subvariants called BA.2, BA.4, BA.5, among others.
Bats are great reservoirs of infections
Dr Soobaraj Sok Appadu, National Covid Coordinator for Mauritius, believes that more research is needed to determine if Khosta-2 poses a threat to humanity. He specifies that the World Health Organization does not consider it to be a virus of concern at the moment. Without wishing to be alarmist, Dr Sok Appadu recalls that it is known that bats are major reservoirs of infections. However, he nuances, “no study has shown that the bats of Mauritius are carriers of any disease or that they have ever attacked humans. However, we must respect their natural habitat so that they stay away from human populations”.