Scientists have identified a previously unknown coronavirus in bats in Brazil that carries a genetic feature found in the viruses responsible for Covid-19 and MERS, raising fresh attention to the global reach of batborne viruses capable of crossing into humans. The discovery broadens the known range of coronaviruses with pandemic potential, according to researchers.
The virus, named BRZ batCoV, was detected in Pteronotus parnellii, a small insect-eating bat species common throughout Latin America. Samples were collected in the Brazilian states of Maranhao and São Paulo. The study, released Monday as a preprint before peer review, found that the new virus belongs to the betacoronavirus family — the same group that includes SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, and the original SARS virus. Genetic sequencing revealed a short segment in the virus’s spike protein known as a furin cleavage site, which enables coronaviruses to more easily infect animal and human cells.
According to the research, this is the first time such a cleavage site has been reported in a bat coronavirus from the Americas, suggesting that the feature may have evolved independently among South American bat populations. The furin cleavage site was one of the most debated elements of SARS-CoV-2’s genome during the Covid-19 pandemic, when some claimed it pointed to laboratory manipulation. However, scientists now emphasize that these features can and do arise naturally, a conclusion reinforced by the discovery of BRZ batCoV.
The international study was led by Kosuke Takada and Tokiko Watanabe of the University of Osaka, with collaborators from the University of São Paulo, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and several other institutions. Researchers determined that the Brazilian virus is related to MERS-like coronaviruses but forms a distinct lineage, separate from known Asian and Middle Eastern strains. Similar viruses have previously been identified in bats in Africa and Asia, but not in the Western Hemisphere until now.
Experts caution there is no evidence that BRZ batCoV can infect humans. Still, the finding highlights the urgent need for continued global surveillance of wildlife viruses to better understand how such pathogens evolve and move across species barriers. As the study notes, tracking coronavirus diversity in animals before spillover occurs remains one of the most effective tools for preventing future pandemics.
