China discovers new virus in bats that can infect humans like Covid-19

The study was led by Shi Zhengli, a leading Chinese virologist. Shi, often referred to as “bat woman,” is best known for her research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The work was carried out at the Guangzhou lab, in collaboration with the Guangzhou Academy of Sciences, Wuhan University, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The new virus belongs to a branch of the HKU5 strain, which was first detected in Japanese bats in Hong Kong (China). The virus belongs to the Merbecovirus group, which includes the virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

Notably, this virus has the ability to bind to the ACE2 receptor, a mechanism similar to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the Covid-19 pandemic. In the article published in the scientific journal Cell, the research team wrote: "We discovered and isolated a new strain of HKU5-CoV (lineage 2), which can use not only the ACE2 receptor of bats but also of humans and many other mammals."

When the virus was isolated from bat samples, it was able to infect human cells as well as artificial tissues simulating the respiratory and intestinal tracts. "Merbecovirus from bats poses a high risk of infecting humans, either through direct transmission or through an intermediate host," the report said.

The HKU5-CoV-2 virus is not only able to attach to the ACE2 receptor in humans but also in many other animals, creating the risk of spreading to humans through intermediate hosts.

However, the report also said that the virus has the potential to cause an epidemic but is not yet a cause for concern. The virus belongs to the Merbecovirus group, which includes four separate species: MERS virus, two viruses found in bats, and one virus found in hedgehogs.

Due to the risk of causing an epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has included this group of viruses in the list of new pathogens that need to be monitored in pandemic preparedness.

However, another recent study conducted by the University of Washington, Seattle (USA) and Wuhan University showed that although the HKU5 virus can attach to the ACE2 receptor of bats and mammals, it is not able to attach effectively in humans.

In response, Shi Zhengli's research team suggested that the HKU5-CoV-2 virus has a higher degree of adaptation to human ACE2 than the previous version (lineage 1), and can infect between different species.

However, scientists still emphasize that the infectious efficiency of this virus is significantly lower than Covid-19 and the risk of spreading to humans should not be exaggerated.

Shi Zhengli’s new discovery continues to fuel debate about the origins of Covid-19. The Wuhan Institute of Virology, where Shi worked, has been at the center of lab leak theories, although there is no conclusive evidence yet about the true origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Some studies suggest that the virus may have originated in bats and jumped to humans through an intermediate host.

Shi Zhengli has repeatedly denied that her lab was involved in the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the discovery of a new virus that can infect human cells in a similar way to Covid-19 has further increased the interest of scientists and the international community in virology research in China.