New research shows that the closest bat virus relatives of the human Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus efficiently bind to bat ACE2 receptors as an entry point into these cells. These receptors have some similarities to the ACE2 receptors in human cells.
However, at present this coronavirus, called NeoCoV and a similar virus, PDF-2180, only weakly bind to human ACE2 cell receptors as an entry point into cells. They also are not known to cause disease outbreaks in people.
“To date,” the scientists reporting this latest research noted, “there is no evidence that NeoCoV and PDF-2180 can infect any mammals other than bats.
