Scientists detect new coronavirus strain linked to bats

Mutating virus variant and cell mutation variants as a health risk concept and new coronavirus outbreak or covid-19 viral cells mutations and influenza background as a 3D render.[FILE}

The Covid-19 pandemic remains a global health nightmare, having claimed millions and infected even more. While its origins are believed to trace back to Wuhan, China, researchers are still trying to understand the virus and its evolution.

Now, scientists have discovered a new strain of coronavirus in bats, known as HKU5-CoV-2, that has potential to infect humans. A study published in the Cell journal by researchers at Wuhan Institute of Virology has raised concerns about another coronavirus strain capable of infecting humans.

The research was led by Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli, often referred to as “Batwoman” due to her extensive work on bat coronaviruses. This discovery comes more than five years after the first cases of Covid-19 were reported in late 2019.

Experts conducting the study collected and analysed anal swab samples from Japanese house bats. Their findings revealed a new lineage of HKU5-CoV, which possesses the ability to bind with human ACE2 receptors—an enzyme crucial for viral entry into human cells. This similarity to SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19 suggests that the new virus may have the potential to spread among people.

According to the study, HKU5-CoV-2 is also capable of attaching to ACE2 receptors in other mammalian species. This increases the risk of cross-species transmission, a phenomenon that played a key role in the emergence of Covid-19 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Researchers noted that the virus’s ability to infect multiple species could make it a potential public health concern.

“HKU5-CoV-2 may have a broader host range and a higher potential for interspecies infection than the original HKU5-CoV strain,” the researchers stated in the study.

Currently, there are no confirmed human cases of HKU5-CoV-2. Because of this, scientists are uncertain about its symptoms or severity of illness it might cause.

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However, given that the virus can bind to human ACE2 receptors, it is theoretically possible for people to become infected through direct contact with infected bats or exposure to fluids such as saliva, urine, or feces from infected animals.

Despite its similarities to known coronaviruses, scientists caution against overestimating the immediate risk. “Due to these suboptimal factors for human adaptation, the risk of [HKU5-CoV-2] emergence in human populations should not be exaggerated,” researchers wrote.

However, they emphasise that continuous monitoring is crucial.

Since HKU5-CoV-2 belongs to the same subgenus as MERS and Covid-19, it may cause similar respiratory symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, and sore throat, should it infect humans.

The researchers found that HKU5-CoV-2 has a lower binding affinity to human ACE2 receptors than SARS-CoV-2. This suggests that while it has the potential to infect humans, its ability to spread might be weaker compared to Covid-19.

However, scientists stress that more research is needed to fully assess the risks associated with this new strain.

Rajeev Jayadevan, an expert at the Kerala State IMA Research Cell, explained that HKU5-CoV-2 has been shown to infect lab-grown human lung and intestinal cells. This finding raises concerns about its potential to jump from animals to humans and spread within populations.

On the other hand, Gautam Menon, a researcher at Ashoka University, downplayed fears of a new pandemic. “From what we know so far, this virus is unlikely to be significant. While HKU5-CoV-2 shares similarities with SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses that infect humans, that alone does not mean it will spread in a way that could cause a pandemic,” he stated.

One major difference between the Covid-19 outbreak and the potential threat posed by HKU5-CoV-2 is that the global population now has some level of immunity due to widespread exposure to SARS-CoV-2.