A new bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, has been discovered in China, raising concerns about the potential risk of animal-to-human transmission.
The virus was identified by a team of virologists led by Shi Zhengli, renowned for her extensive work on coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute, often referred to as “Batwoman.”
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), HKU5-CoV-2 shares similarities with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Like SARS-CoV-2, HKU5-CoV-2 can infiltrate human cells by binding to ACE2 receptors. The discovery was made during laboratory tests where the virus was shown to infect human cell cultures in mini-human organ models.
The research team highlighted the high risk of spillover to humans, either directly or through intermediate hosts. Despite this, the potential for HKU5-CoV-2 to cause disease in humans remains uncertain and requires further investigation. The study noted that the virus has a better adaptation to human ACE2 compared to other lineage 1 HKU5 coronaviruses.
Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, commented on the findings, suggesting that the reaction to the study might be “overblown.” He pointed out that there is now a lot of immunity in the population to similar SARS viruses, which could reduce the risk of another pandemic.
The study authors also emphasized that the virus has significantly less binding affinity to human ACE2 than SARS-CoV-2, suggesting that the risk of emergence in human populations should not be exaggerated. However, ongoing surveillance of emerging coronaviruses remains crucial to prevent potential future outbreaks.
