20 new bat viruses discovered in China's fruit orchard amidst ongoing COVID surge; Are humans at risk?

Time of India

7 hours ago

Amidst the surge of the new COVID-19 variant, designated NB.1.8.1, informally known as 'Nimbus' and gaining popularity – thanks to its signature 'razor blade' symptom – a bunch of new viruses have been discovered in China.
Bats in the orchards of Yunnan province in southwest China have been found to carry some unknown germs in their kidneys, including two that are closely related to the dangerous Nipah and Hendra viruses.
A team of scientists, led by Guopeng Kuang from the Yunnan Institute of Endemic Disease Control and Prevention and Tian Yang from Dali University, examined 142 bats from 10 different species. Their research uncovered 20 new viruses, along with a new type of bacterium and a protozoan parasite, according to a study published by
PLOS
.
What does the research say?
The study published in PLOS Pathogens has revealed 20 previously unknown viruses – alongside two additional ones – within the kidneys of wild fruit bats captured in Yunnan province, near village orchards and caves.
Researchers examined 142 bats across ten species and uncovered two henipaviruses genetically close to the notorious Hendra and Nipah viruses.
The two worrying viruses are part of the henipavirus family, which is known for having long genomes and infecting a variety of hosts.
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More than half of the genes from these new viruses closely resemble those of the Nipah and Hendra viruses, which can be deadly to humans, even though they don't occur often in people. This finding is particularly alarming because both Hendra and Nipah are highly lethal, with mortality rates up to 70% in humans, and no approved vaccines or therapies exist for Nipah.
It's still uncertain if these new henipaviruses can jump from bats to other animals or humans, but their genetic similarity to dangerous viruses means scientists will be monitoring them closely.
The fact that these genetically similar viruses are present in bats near orchards – which may interact with livestock or people – raises serious concerns about zoonotic spillover.
The authors emphasized this point in a
statement
included with their research: 'By analyzing the infectome of bat kidneys collected near village orchards and caves in Yunnan, we uncovered not only the diverse microbes bats carry, but also the first full-length genomes of novel bat-borne henipaviruses closely related to Hendra and Nipah viruses identified in China – raising urgent concerns about the potential for these viruses to spill over into humans or livestock.
'
Decoding the consequences:
In response to the research, Molecular virologist Vinod Balasubramaniam from Monash University, who wasn't involved in the study, said in a statement shared with Newsweek, "These viruses are particularly concerning because they were predominantly found in bat kidneys, a site linked to urine production, raising alarm about potential human exposure via contaminated fruits or water."
Why target bat kidneys?
The researchers pointed out that most research on bat viruses focuses on their droppings, whereas they studied the kidneys, which 'can harbor important zoonotic pathogens.'
Previous surveillance typically focused on bat guano (droppings). This study took a different approach, focusing on kidney tissue, which is integral to urine production – a key route for virus shedding. Bats shedding virus-laden urine onto fruit or into water dramatically increases the potential for environmental contamination and subsequent human or livestock exposure.
The study authors urge further research 'to better assess spillover risks from bat populations.'
Pathways of transmission: how humans might get exposed
Transmission occurs through a few main routes. Direct contact with bat urine or droppings, contaminating fruit, water, or soil, while intermediate animal hosts, such as pigs or horses, can get infected via contaminated fruit and amplify the virus before passing it to humans. Environmental exposure, from contaminated fruit or sap – e.g., unpeeled or unwashed fruits like date palm juice – has been implicated in Nipah outbreaks in South Asia.
Are humans at risk?
Not necessarily imminent, but the potential is real and concerning.
Because the bats were found in fruit orchards, humans and farm animals could be at risk if the viruses could cross over between species. However, bats also play a crucial role in orchards by pollinating fruits, enriching the soil, and controlling insect populations. In fact, insect-eating bats in China help apple farmers save around $2 billion a year in crop losses!
Genetic similarity:
The new henipaviruses share close lineage with Hendra/Nipah, but may differ in regions critical for cell entry in humans.
Experts stress that genetic similarity doesn't guarantee human infectivity.
Absence of current human cases:
No viral spillover has been documented—yet. Similarly, other newly discovered bat coronaviruses (e.g., HKU5-CoV-2) showed the ability to infect human cells in vitro, but have so far posed no known health threat.
Low direct exposure:
Ecological tracking studies of Yunnan bats (e.g., Eonycteris spelaea) show they rarely overlap with human living or working areas, suggesting limited opportunity for direct transmission.
However, University of Sydney veterinarian Alison Peel, who wasn't part of the research, pointed out that while there are other related viruses that don't pose a risk to humans, more laboratory studies are needed to understand these new ones better.
Risk factors that elevate spillover probability:
Several environmental and anthropogenic drivers are behind zoonotic emergence. Habitat loss and altered bat diets force bats into orchards, increasing viral shedding and human–bat interaction. Agriculture and livestock proximity, like free-range pig farms in Yunnan and Guangxi, can act as intermediaries for virus amplification. Fruit contamination, i.e., unwashed or fallen fruit eaten by humans or livestock, is a known pathway – seen in India, Bangladesh, and Malaysia.
Hence, although direct human spillover is still relatively rare, the importance of surveillance remains critical.
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