Researchers have discovered a new coronavirus in Chinese bats.
What is HKU5-CoV-2?
What we know:
HKU5-CoV-2 is a coronavirus belonging to the merbecovirusgroup, which also includes the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus.
RELATED: Another US agency assesses COVID-19 origin likely a Chinese ‘lab leak’: report
This virus is also a new lineage of the HKU5 coronavirus identified in the Japanese pipistrelle bat in Hong Kong, according to the South China Morning Post.
What we don’t know:
It’s unknown if the discovery of HKU5-CoV-2 will cause any disease in humans.
Study details findings on HKU5-CoV-2
Researchers published their findings on HKU5-CoV-2 in the scientific journal Cell.
Shi Zhengli, a leading virologist known as the “batwoman” based on her research on bat coronavirus, was the leader of the study. Zhengli also collaborated with researchers from the Guangzhou Academy of Sciences, Wuhan University, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
RELATED: German man received 217 coronavirus vaccine shots over a 29-month period, study says
When researchers shared details about HKU5-CoV-2, they said in their study, “Authentic HKU5-CoV-2 infected human ACE2-expressing cell lines and human respiratory and enteric organoids. This study reveals a distinct lineage of HKU5-CoVs in bats that efficiently use human ACE2 and underscores their potential zoonotic risk.”
Newsweek noted that Shi is well known for her work at the Wuhan institute, which was mired in controversy related to the origins of COVID. The news outlet reported that some have implied that the virus came from a lab leak in the city, but Shi refuted this claim.
Why you should care:
HKU5-CoV-2 carries the risk of animal-to-human transmission because it uses the same human receptor as the virus that causes COVID-19.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Newsweek, the South China Morning Post, and the researchers’ study published in the scientific journal Cell. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.
