New bat virus in China mirrors COVID-19 infection method
The South China Morning Post reports that a new strain of coronavirus has been identified in bats in China. A team of researchers has indicated that it may spread similarly to the virus responsible for the multi-year pandemic that began in late 2019.
Chinese scientists warn that the newly discovered virus utilizes the same cell receptor as SARS-CoV-2, which is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the South China Morning Post, Shi Zhengli, a prominent Chinese virologist, led the research. She's often referred to as the "batwoman" because of her extensive work on coronaviruses in these animals, notably in Wuhan at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project also involved scientists from a laboratory and the Academy of Sciences in Guangzhou, Wuhan University, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The media reminds us that one theory on the origins of the coronavirus, proposed five years ago, suggested that the virus may have escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan. However, there is still no conclusive evidence for this hypothesis. Many scientists believe the virus was transmitted to humans from bats through an intermediary host. Shi Zhengli has consistently denied that her institute is responsible for the pandemic.
The newly discovered virus belongs to a new line of HKU5 coronaviruses, first identified in bats in Hong Kong. It is part of the merbecovirus subfamily, which also includes the virus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
Particularly concerning is that the new virus can bind to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2)—the same one that SARS-CoV-2 uses to infect cells. This means it could pose a potential public health threat.
Scientists maintain, however, that although HKU5 has the potential to cause an epidemic, there is currently no cause for alarm.
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