Date Time Study identifies genetic changes likely to have enabled SARS-CoV-2 to jump from bats to humans A new study, involving the University of Cambridge and led by the Pirbright Institute, has identified key genetic changes in SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – that may be responsible for the jump from bats to humans, and established which animals have cellular receptors that allow the virus to enter their cells most effectively. It is essential to understand which animals can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 and how mutations in the viral spike protein change its ability to infect different species Stephen Graham