Researchers in China have discovered a new bat coronavirus that raises the possibility of spillover events from animals to humans, raising concerns about future spillover events like Covid-19.
This new strain HKU5-CoV-2 is said to belong to the subgenus merbecovirus, which includes the Mers virus, binds to the receptor ACE2 in human cells, the same entry point used by the virus responsible for Covid-19, reports the news agency Reuters citing a study.
However, the Chinese researchers reported it did not penetrate human cells as readily as SARS-CoV-2 could. They offered their reservations in the journal Cell.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the new virus was discovered by a group of Virologists under the leadership of Shi Zhengli, the famous scientist known as “Batwoman” for her lifetime work in coronaviruses, especially at the Wuhan Institute which has been at the center of suggesting COVID-19’s origins stem from a lab leak-a claim that China has consistently denied.
What Is HKU5-CoV-2?
HKU5-CoV-2 is a newly discovered virus in bats in China that could have the potential of infecting humans, although researchers said more details on animal-to-human transmission were yet to be investigated. While one can find hundreds of coronaviruses in the wild, only a handful of them can evoke illnesses in people.
HKU5-CoV-2, which has originated from HKU5, another corona-virus first discovered in Japanese pipistrelle bats in Hong Kong, is said to be classified in the merbecovirus subgenus along with the causative agent of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome(Mers).
The researchers noted that, like SARS-CoV-2, the bat virus HKU5-CoV-2 has a furin cleavage domain-type feature that enables it to gain entry into cells via the ACE2 protein on cell surfaces.
In laboratory experiments, HKU5-CoV-2 infected human cells with high ACE2 levels in vitro and in models of intestines and airways. In anticipation of further trials, the researchers reportedly surveyed monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs on a candidate animal for target tissues on the virus originating from bats.
The latter also pointed to the fact that “much less” binding affinity for human ACE2 is observed than for SARS-CoV-2; other aspects suggested were exactly suboptimal for human adaptation, so the “risk of emergence in human populations must not be exaggerated.”
Are We Facing A Potential Pandemic?
In a Reuters report, responding to concerns raised by a report that another pandemic may arise from the new virus, the infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Michael Osterholm, saw this as strongly exaggerated. According to him, a great amount of immunity to a similar SARS virus exists in the population compared to 2019, which would greatly reduce the pandemic risk.
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