The origins of SARS-CoV-2: the search goes on

Where did SARS-CoV-2 come from? How did this virus enter the human population? These questions still remain unanswered. In June 2022, a group of experts, the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), published a report on the origin of coronavirus but was unable to draw a definitive conclusion. Since then, research has continued, particularly at the Institut Pasteur and in the Pasteur Network, to further our knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 and the evolution of the disease in a bid to better understand the origins of the pandemic. To this end, a recent study led by Institut Pasteur scientists on SARS-CoV-2-related viruses circulating among bats in Laos has concluded that it is unlikely that these viruses had acquired the same ability as SARS-CoV-2 to infect human lungs by accumulating mutations during prior silent circulation in human or intermediate host populations. This article explores their research.

Find out more (in French, english coming soon)