Scientists have sequenced the complete genome of a divergent betacoronavirus detected in a Brazilian bat, according to a peer-reviewed paper published in Nature Communications. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the pathogen is sufficiently distinct from all five recognized Betacoronavirus subgenera to represent a new subgenus.
The virus was sampled from a Pteronotus parnellii bat in Brazil. Structural examination showed that the viral spike protein carries a functional furin cleavage site at the S1/S2 junction. The site contains an RDAR amino acid sequence motif, which differs by only one amino acid from the RRAR sequence found in SARS-CoV-2.
Bats serve as natural reservoirs for diverse RNA viruses, and betacoronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus (MERS-CoV) have drawn scrutiny following zoonotic spillovers. Most genomic information on betacoronaviruses has come from samples collected in Asia, Africa, and Europe, leaving viruses in the Americas sparsely documented. Through comparative structural analysis, the authors identified additional bat betacoronaviruses harboring furin cleavage sites at the S1/S2 junction, suggesting the location serves as a structurally permissive hotspot for acquiring cleavage sites.
Field teams collected the bat specimens during routine rabies surveillance and control programs managed by the São Paulo State Agricultural Defense and the Agência Estadual de Defesa Agropecuária of Maranhão State. The research, which was received on November 15, 2025, and accepted on August 21, 2026, was led by co-first authors Kosuke Takada and Nicholas Yamahoki alongside senior investigators including Tokiko Watanabe and Edward C. Holmes.
