COVID-19 immunity may help protect against other bat coronaviruses
People who recovered from COVID-19 infection or were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 are more likely to have immunity to other closely related bat coronaviruses that could threaten future human health.
A recent study by The Pirbright Institute and King's College London has revealed that people who have recovered from COVID-19 infection or have been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 may possess immunity to other closely related bat coronaviruses. The research, published in PLOS Biology, suggests that bat coronaviruses most likely to infect a wide range of animal species are those most closely related to SARS-CoV-2 and most likely to be recognized by immunity generated through COVID-19 infection.
The study found that "generalist" sarbecoviruses, which can use ACE2 receptors from many different species, were largely confined to the same evolutionary group as SARS-CoV-2. This discovery could provide insight into the potential for future spillover events from bats to humans, as well as the protective effects of COVID-19 immunity against related bat coronaviruses.
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