New Bat Virus Discovered

Image credits: Anadolu Agency

A newly discovered bat coronavirus, known as HKU5-CoV-2, has been found to infect human cells in a similar way to COVID-19, sparking fears of another potential pandemic. The virus, which was discovered by researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, uses the same cell-surface protein, ACE2, as SARS-CoV-2 to help it enter human cells. In lab experiments, HKU5-CoV-2 was able to infect human cells with high ACE2 levels in test tubes and in models of human intestines and airways.

The researchers, led by virologist Shi Zhengli, found that the bat virus has a higher potential for interspecies infection than other similar viruses. The study, which was published in the journal Cell, also identified antibodies and antiviral drugs that are able to target the bat virus. However, the potential for HKU5-CoV-2 to spill over to humans "remains to be investigated". The discovery of the new virus has sparked fears of another pandemic, with some drawing similarities with the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the concerns, some experts have downplayed the risks, with Dr Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, calling the reaction to the study "overblown". He noted that there is a lot of immunity in the population to similar COVID-19 and SARS viruses compared with 2019. The study itself also noted that the virus has significantly less binding affinity than SARS-CoV-2. The researchers also found that the bat virus is descended from the same coronavirus line that creates Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), an acute and sometimes fatal respiratory illness spread by direct contact from camels to humans.

The discovery of the new virus has also raised concerns about the potential for animal-to-human transmission, with the Wuhan Institute of Virology being at the center of the lab-leak theory, which claims COVID-19 was manufactured in a Chinese lab and accidentally leaked to the public. The intelligence community in the US believes, with low confidence, that COVID leaked from the WIV. The new study states a zoonotic spillover is believed to be responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic as bats have the highest proportion of coronaviruses and are considered reservoirs for them.

In response to the discovery, some have called for increased vigilance and preparedness, with the potential for another pandemic being a reminder of the need for continued research and development of treatments and vaccines. The discovery of the new virus has also sparked a renewed interest in the use of face masks and other protective measures, with some drawing similarities with the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen what the full implications of the discovery will be, and whether the new virus will pose a significant threat to human health.