Virological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses dynamically circulating in Southeast Asia
Summary
By sampling horseshoe bats-the reservoir hosts of SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses (SC2r-CoVs)-in Thailand, we present two clades of SC2r-CoVs co-circulating in the same bat population. Through a comprehensive set of experimental approaches, including cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), pseudovirus and live virus assays, and hamster experiments, we characterize the virological properties of these new viruses. We show that one of the two clades discovered in this study is able to bind the h
Content
# Virological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses dynamically circulating in Southeast Asia
*Published: 2026 May 6*
By sampling horseshoe bats-the reservoir hosts of SARS-CoV-2-related
coronaviruses (SC2r-CoVs)-in Thailand, we present two clades of SC2r-CoVs
co-circulating in the same bat population. Through a comprehensive set of
experimental approaches, including cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM),
pseudovirus and live virus assays, and hamster experiments, we characterize the
virological properties of these new viruses. We show that one of the two clades
discovered in this study is able to bind the human angiotensin converting enzyme
2 (ACE2) receptor; however, it exhibits reduced fusogenicity and replication in
vitro and lower pathogenicity and transmissibility compared with SARS-CoV-2.
Phylogeography and recombination analyses reveal a complex evolutionary history
for these viruses characterized by extensive, recent geographic movement and
recombination with co-circulating virus lineages. Our findings provide new
insights into the diversity of SC2r-CoVs dynamically co-circulating in Southeast
Asia as well as the virological characteristics of these viruses relative to
SARS-CoV-2.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2026.04.019