New Delhi, India

A team of American researchers has identified a new variant of coronavirus in Russian bats that is capable of infecting people. They have voiced concern that the virus called "Khosta-2" may be "completely resistant" to all coronavirus vaccinations now on the market and is just waiting to jump from bats to humans. The team's research has been published in the journal PLoS Pathogens.

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Here's everything we know about the dangerous virus:

What is Khosta-2?

The pathogen is classified as a sarbecovirus, a member of the coronavirus family. However, nothing is known about it other than the fact that it is related to SARS-CoV-2, the strain responsible for Covid. 

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When and where was the virus discovered?

As per Daily Mail, Khosta-2 was discovered in bat samples taken from Sochi National Park between March and October 2020, i.e., around the same time when the world was in a panic over SARS-CoV-2. However, the Russian government acknowledged its presence pretty recently in May.

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Is it dangerous to humans?

As per Dr Stephanie Seifert and her colleagues, Khosta-2 is a zoonotic virus, which means that it can "latch onto human cells with ease in the same way as the Covid virus."

How does it infect us?

According to tests, Khosta-2 was able to infect human cells in a manner that was remarkably similar to SARS-CoV-2 the virus responsible for Covid-19.

The virus attaches to the ACE-2 entrance enzyme, which is located on the surface of human cells, by hooking onto a spike-like protein on its surface.

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Are any vaccines available to combat it?

Daily Mail reports that the research team from Washington State University tested the virus in order to learn more about it. They discovered that the pathogen was resistant to the coronavirus vaccines we have available on the market today.

It was found to be 'completely resistant' Bebtelovimab, an antibody medication made by Eli Lilly. 

Laboratory testing also revealed that it seemed "resistant" to two doses of vaccination by Moderna and Pfizer.

So how do we fight it?

Even though how it infects is similar to SARS-CoV-2, Koshta isn't as efficient.

Scientists believe that it could still be "possible" that the virus can be fought off using either natural immunity from Covid-19 or possibly even protection gained by vaccination.

Referring to SARS-CoV-2 which is also classified as sarbecovirus, they said it was behind "the largest global pandemic in modern history" and that a universal coronavirus vaccine is desperately needed at a time when "Zoonotic spillover of sarbecoviruses has led to the emergence of highly pathogenic human viruses."

(With inputs from agencies)

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