Why a New Bat Coronavirus in China Is Raising Concern

Scientists at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology recently reported the discovery of another bat-borne coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, which is capable of entering cells using human ACE2 — the same receptor that played a critical role in the devastating spread of Covid-19. Although there have been no reported human infections, the news boosted shares of vaccine makers, underscoring global concerns about the ongoing threat of animal diseases capable of sparking deadly outbreaks. From bubonic plague and smallpox to ‘Spanish flu’ and HIV, history is rife with pandemics that have shaped our world. While medical advances help us combat these scourges, modern challenges — such as deforestation, urbanization, intensive agriculture, and climate change — are fueling the emergence of new infectious threats at an alarming rate.

Researchers collected the HKU5-CoV-2 strain from a small subset of hundreds of Pipistrellus bats swabbed across China’s Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Guangxi provinces. Their analysis revealed that it belongs to a distinct lineage of coronaviruses that includes the one causing Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and is only distantly related to SARS-CoV-2, the strain of coronavirus that caused the Covid-19 pandemic. Notably, the HKU5-CoV-2 strain can enter human cells by binding to the ACE2 receptor — a protein on the surface of many cells — mirroring the mechanism used by SARS-CoV-2 to infect cells, replicate, and spread. Lab experiments suggest that HKU5-CoV-2 may also infect a broad variety of mammals, underscoring its potential for cross-species transmission. The research was led by virologist Shi Zheng-Li, known for her work on bat viruses, and her facility, which has faced allegations about its central role in the emergence of SARS-CoV-2.