New MERS-like Coronavirus Discovered in Pangolins

A research team jointly led by Dr.SHI Zhengli and Dr.ZHOU Peng from the CAS Wuhan Institute of Virology and their collaborators have discovered a novel MERS-like coronavirus in Malayan pangolins,the world’s most trafficked mammals (doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.019).

A Philippine Pangolin pup nudges its mother, rolled up in a protective ball.Photographed by Shukran888 (CC BY-SA 4.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80616668

The virus, namedManis javanicaHKU4-related coronavirus (MjHKU4r-CoV), was found in 11% of the tested animals by pan-CoV PCR and 12.8% tested seropositive, according to a new study published inCellon February 16.

The MjHKU4r-CoV-1 strain uses human dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (hDPP4) as a receptor and host proteases for cell infection.Notably, the virus has a furin cleavage site –many viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 virus, use furin to process their surface proteins and gain entry into host cells – and binds effectively to hDPP4 and have a broader host range.The study shows that MjHKU4r-CoV-1 is infectious and pathogenic in human airways and intestinal organs and in hDPP4-transgenic mice.

This finding highlights the importance of pangolins as a reservoir host of coronaviruses with the potential to emerge as human diseases.Public safety may be impacted by the potential for zoonotic transmission of bat coronaviruses through pangolins, emphasizing the need for continued monitoring and research into these animals and their role in virus transmission.