Bat researchers are collecting samples from bats on a mission to track the origin of COVID-19 pandemic in northern Cambodia. An eight-membered research team from Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) has been collecting samples from bats and recording their details such as species, age and sex for a week now. The region in northern Cambodia has reported the presence of a very similar virus in the animals a decade ago.
The samples collected in 2010 in Stung Treng province near Laos were from horseshoe bats seen in the region. The samples were stored in the freezers at the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) in Phnom Penh since 2010. The test results have revealed the presence of a virus which is a close relative to SARS-CoV-2. The virus that was traced in the samples collected in 2010 has been reported to cause death of more than 4.6 million people worldwide.
A similar research is carried out in Philippines by another team of researchers who call themselves the ‘virus hunters.’ The research team has members from the University of the Philippines Los Banos. They are on a mission to catch thousands of bats to develop a simulation model in hope of helping the world to avoid another pandemic similar to COVID-19. The model is expected to be developed in three years and is funded by Japan.
Thavry Hoem, the field coordinator of the research told Reuters that they hope to bring a better understanding about COVID-19 to the world. She added that host species like bats do not display symptoms of any pathogens, but the transmission of these pathogens to humans and other animals can be disastrous. Dr. Veasna Duong, Head of Virology at Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, stated that his team had made several trips to find clues for bat-borne virus in the past two years. He also told Reuters that the cause for devastating pandemics like COVID-19 is the destruction of natural habitats due to human interferences.
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