Humans are not the only species facing a potential threat from the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to a new study which says several critically endangered primates such as the Western lowland gorilla, Sumatran orangutan, and Northern white-cheeked gibbon may be susceptible to infection with the virus.

Scientists, including those from the University of California (UC) - Davis in the US, used genomic analysis to compare the structure of the ACE2 receptor protein which the novel coronavirus uses to enter cells across 410 different species of vertebrates, including birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. According to the study, published in the journal PNAS, ACE2 is normally found in many different types of cells and tissues, including the cells lining the outer layer of the nose, mouth, and lungs. Of the amino acid building blocks which make up ACE2, the scientists said 25 of these molecules in the protein are important for the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, to bind and gain entry into human cells. In the study, they used the sequence of these 25 amino acid molecules, assessed how they interact with each other, and modelled its predicted protein structure. Using this model, the researchers evaluated how many of the 25 amino acids are found in the ACE2 protein of the different species.