Differential Tropism of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 in Bat Cells
Susanna K. P. Lau, Antonio C. P. Wong, Hayes K. H. Luk, Kenneth S. M. Li, Joshua Fung, Zirong He, Flora Ka-Kei Cheng, Tony Tat-Yin Chan, Stella Chu, Kam Leng Aw‐Yong, Terrence Chi‐Kong Lau, Kitty S. C. Fung, Patrick C. Y. Woo
Abstract
C oronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a global pan- demic, affecting 213 countries with >2.7 million confirmed cases and 190,000 fatalities as of April 25, 2020 (1). Its causative agent was identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which belongs to the same coronavirus species as SARS-CoV and SARS-related CoVs (SARSr-CoVs) in horseshoe bats (genus Rhinolophus) (2,3). Given the history among some early case-patients of visiting the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China, and its genetic close relatedness to SARSr-CoVs in bats and pangolins (2,4), SARS-CoV-2 was suspected to have emerged from wild animals, particularly bats, similar to SARS-CoV. SARS-CoV was a recombinant virus that originated from Chinese horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus sinicus) before it infected palm civets and then humans (5).