Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #pangolinexpress
Most recents (1)
On the recent paper describing new SARS2-like viruses in Thailand, the big takeaways for me:
The closest relatives to SARS2 are still from inside China whether you count it by genome, RdRp, or Spike RBD.
The ones from Thailand don't use human ACE2.
nature.com/articles/s4146…
The closest relatives to SARS2 are still from inside China whether you count it by genome, RdRp, or Spike RBD.
The ones from Thailand don't use human ACE2.
nature.com/articles/s4146…
I think sampling bats for viruses is worthwhile as long as care is taken not to introduce SARS2 from human personnel into wildlife while going on these expeditions.
BUT I don't think that hunting for bat CoVs in SE Asia is going to answer how this pandemic got started in Wuhan.
BUT I don't think that hunting for bat CoVs in SE Asia is going to answer how this pandemic got started in Wuhan.
You're just going further and further away from ground zero. Wuhan (top dot), Kunming, Yunnan, China (middle dot) where the Mojiang miners and RaTG13 was collected, and Chachoengsao, Thailand (bottom dot) where the new bat CoVs were collected. 
