Ilaria Di Bartolo

Abstract Merbecoviruses, closely related to the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, circulate in hedgehogs throughout Europe and Asia, raising concerns about zoonotic transmission to humans and domestic animals. However, it is not clear how these viruses enter host cells. Here we tested three coronavirus receptors from European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in cell-based assays and identified aminopeptidase N (APN) as a receptor for hedgehog merbecoviruses.

Abstract Enteric viruses are continuously excreted in high concentrations in human feces and are disseminated into aquatic environments through treated and untreated wastewater, much of which is ultimately discharged into coastal marine waters. Environmental surveillance of these pathogens may therefore reflect their circulation in human populations and serve as an early-warning tool for the emergence of new viruses or variants, as well as increased transmission of existing ones.