Discovering new viruses in bats can be transmitted to humans like ncov

The study was led by virus expert Shi Zhengli, who was dubbed the “batman” thanks to the outstanding contributions to the study of Corona virus in this species.

The new virus, named HKU5-COV-2, belongs to the branch of the HKU5 strain, which was first discovered on Japanese bats in Hong Kong. It is in the Merbecovirus group, the virus group includes the agent causing the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

As published in the magazine Cell A few days ago, scientists were isolated and determined that this new variant was capable of associating with Ace2 receptor not only in bats but also in humans and many other mammals.

The experiment shows that the HKU5-COV-2 virus can penetrate human cells as well as artificial tissue (simulating respiratory and digestive systems). This raises concerns about the risk of spreading from bats to humans, via direct transmission or through intermediaries. In particular, the ability to link with many other animals increases the risk of widespread spread.

However, scientists emphasized that the risk of outbreaks from this virus is still low. Although the HKU5-COV-2 virus has a higher level of adaptability to ACE2 receptors than the previous variant, its infection effect is still much lower than the SARS-COV-2.

The study also showed that the Merbecovirus group now consists of four separate viruses: MERS virus, two types found on bats and one detection on hedgehog. In particular, HKU5-COV-2 virus is assessed to be infected between many species, but the level of effective interaction with human cells is still limited.

Shi Zhengli, a famous scientist at the Wuhan virus Institute, has faced many controversies related to the origin of Covid-19. Some hypotheses suggest that Sars-CoV-2 may stem from a leak at the laboratory in Wuhan, but Shi rejected the allegation. Although there is no consensus of the origin of Covid-19, many studies show that the virus can originate from bats and spread to humans through intermediaries.