A Chinese research team has identified a new bat coronavirus capable of animal-to-human transmission, as it uses the same human receptor as the virus responsible for Covid-19.
Shi Zhengli, a virologist known as “Batwoman” for her extensive research on bat coronaviruses, led the study at the Guangzhou Laboratory, Wuhan University, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
She has been at the forefront of research into Covid-19’s origins, though the debate over its source remains unresolved.
While some studies suggest the virus originated in bats before spreading to humans via an intermediate animal host, Shi has denied allegations that the Wuhan Institute was responsible for a lab leak.
“Blaming the institute for the leak is untrue,” she has stated.
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The newly discovered virus is a new lineage of the HKU5 coronavirus, first detected in the Japanese pipistrelle bat in Hong Kong.
It belongs to the merbecovirus subgenus, which includes the virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
In a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell on Tuesday, researchers reported: “We identified and isolated a distinct lineage (lineage 2) of HKU5-CoV, which can utilise not only bat ACE2 but also human ACE2 and various mammalian ACE2 orthologs.”
They warned that “bat merbecoviruses pose a high risk of spillover to humans, either through direct transmission or via intermediate hosts.”
While the virus’s transmission efficiency is significantly lower than that of Covid-19, the researchers cautioned that its potential spread should not be underestimated.
Immunocompromised individuals remain vulnerable, and lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic highlight weaknesses in global health and emergency response systems.
Another Covid-like outbreak could put immense strain on healthcare infrastructure worldwide.
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