Southeast Asia - A hotspot of many viruses with potential to cause pandemics
Southeast Asia - A hotspot of many viruses with potential to cause pandemics
Scientists are continually conducting research and identifying viruses that can cause a global pandemic as Covid-19 has done. A study in Laos has identified three viruses found in bats with similar characteristics as SARS-CoV-2. Marc Eliot, a virologist from France found the viruses in three Rhinolophus bat species in the northern caves of Laos. The researchers took samples of saliva, feces, and urine and discovered that the bats had viruses that were 95% identical to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The three viruses were called BANAL-52, BANAL-103, and BANAL-236. These findings have awakened researchers such as David Robertson, a virologist from Glasgow, as the viruses share similarities with SARS-CoV-2 in their receptor-binding domains (RBD), meaning they can infect human cells. What is worrying about these viruses is that they have been found in Thailand and Cambodia thus backing their idea that Southeast Asia is a hotspot for viruses with the potential to create another global pandemic. Although these bats have been found to have very similar viruses to the Cold-19 virus it does not mean that another global pandemic will break out. Scientists and researchers can use this information to work out methods to prevent the spread of the virus from the bats to humans and potentially find ways to get rid of the virus from the bats.
It would be interesting to further research the bats and see how they came into contact with the virus and whether they are spreading it to other species. I feel this research would be very beneficial in the long-term prevention of spreading the viruses to humans in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world. It could also have positive impacts on the bat species as well as the ecosystems they live in.