In a first, researchers in the country have found pathogenic coronaviruses in two species of Indian bats. A recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), found strains of coronaviruses, different from the novel coronavirus, in two bat species – the Indian Flying Fox and Rousettus (old world fruit bats).

According to media reports, the study, published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, states that there is no evidence to suggest that the bat coronaviruses can be transmitted to humans.

Swab samples of 25 bats belonging to these species from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Puducherry had tested positive for the virus through reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing, the report said.

The findings are part of a larger study carried out by researchers to study the presence of bat coronavirus (Bt-CoV), News18 reported.

The Covid-19 outbreak is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) virus. The origin of the novel coronavirus has been traced back to bats and pangolins. However, no definite proof that the virus jumped from bats to humans via an intermediary species has been found yet.

The ICMR study, conducted in collaboration with a team of scientists from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, is based on samples collected from forests in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Odisha, Telangana, Chandigarh and Puducherry between 2018 and 2019.