Scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Pirbright Institute have identified necessary changes in SARS-CoV-2 that made the virus pathogenic to humans. Report informs that the journal PLOS Biology published the study.
It turned out that the genetic adaptations that allowed the virus to pass from bats to humans were similar to those that caused the SARS outbreak in 2003. According to scientists, this conclusion suggests a common mechanism by which this family of viruses mutates to move from animals to humans.
According to scientists, the study results indicate that changes in the SARS-CoV-2 S-protein occurred historically, which may have played a key role in allowing the virus to overcome the species barrier.