New Bat Coronavirus in China That Can Infect Humans

Researchers in China have discovered a new bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, which can infect humans. The research, carried out by virologist Shi Zhengli, who has earned the nickname “batwoman” for her large body of work on coronaviruses found in bats, was carried out by researchers at the Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou Academy of Sciences, Wuhan University, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

HKU5-CoV-2 is of the HKU5 lineage, which was first detected in Japanese pipistrelle bats from Hong Kong. Experiments have shown that the virus can infect the human ACE2 receptor—the same portal that SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, uses. This binding potential indicates the possibility of animal-to-human transmission.

Additional experiments indicated that HKU5-CoV-2 can infect human cells, and even artificially cultured lung and intestinal tissue. While HKU5-CoV-2 can bind with ACE2 receptors in humans, bats, and other mammals, scientists note that HKU5-CoV-2 is not as potent as SARS-CoV-2, and this implies less danger of human spread.

This finding highlights the necessity of ongoing monitoring and studies of coronaviruses in animals to pre-empt possible zoonotic incidents. The Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is the focus of this research, was previously under questioning over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, something which Chinese authorities have always denied.

Though the discovery of HKU5-CoV-2 is not an indication of an immediate health emergency, it is a reminder of the need for constant alertness and preemptive action to ensure that the threats of novel infectious diseases are kept to a minimum.