New coronaviruses discovered in bats in Spain, some similar to SARS-CoV-2

The study, led by the Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I²SysBio) – a joint centre of the University of Valencia (UV) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) – together with the Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology (ICBiBE) of the UV, is based on the sequencing of faecal samples from hundreds of bats, collected in various parts of Spain, belonging to 23 different species. This research represents the most extensive effort to date to study the diversity of coronaviruses in Iberian wildlife.

The research team succeeded in identifying eight complete coronavirus genomes, three of which correspond to potentially new species belonging to the genus Alphacoronavirus. This genus includes a large proportion of known coronaviruses and encompasses several that cause common colds, as well as important viruses affecting pigs and other species.

Phylogenetic analyses revealed evolutionary links with coronaviruses previously described in bats from other countries in Asia and Europe, suggesting that viral reservoirs across these regions share many common elements.

“The strong similarities between these viruses would indicate a relatively recent common origin and significant transmission of these viruses within bat populations”, explains Rafael Sanjuán, researcher at I²SysBio, professor of Genetics at the University of Valencia and one of the main authors of the study.

One of the viruses identified, RhBetaCoV-Murcia2022, belongs to the genus Betacoronavirus, as does SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, this new virus was found to be capable of using the human ACE2 receptor – the same receptor used by SARS-CoV-2 – although with significantly lower affinity. Viral receptors are typically cell-surface proteins that viruses use as entry points.

This finding therefore suggests zoonotic potential (the ability to be transmitted from animals to humans), but highlights the importance of further research into viral diversity in bats to prevent potential zoonotic viral outbreaks.

“Although the new virus and SARS-CoV-2 share a receptor, there are other factors that a virus must meet to be considered infectious or potentially dangerous. Beyond entering the cell, it must also be able to replicate its genome, express its genes, evade the immune response and be efficiently transmitted between people”, notes Jérémy Dufloo, researcher at I²SysBio and co-author of the study. He adds: “So far, it has not been possible to isolate and culture the complete virus, so we lack the tools for a more detailed study”.

Prevention work

These findings underline the importance of conducting field studies to detect the presence of such viruses and to understand their behaviour in nature. Monitoring them – analysing their abundance, contact with humans or evolution – is key to preventing future viral outbreaks.

Likewise, identifying the receptors (such as ACE2) that viruses use to infect cells enables the design of new antivirals that inhibit viral entry. In this way, such research contributes to the development of new antiviral drugs that could be used in the event of future viral outbreaks.

This research was funded by the European Research Council (ERC), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Valencian Regional Government, the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

Reference: Soriano-Tordera C, Buigues J, Viñals A, Muscolino E, Martínez-Recio R, Díez J, et al. (2025). Identification and characterization of novel bat coronaviruses in Spain. PLoS Pathog 21(8): e1013371. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013371