Latest news with #HKU5-CoVs
Fox News
23-02-2025
- Health
- Fox News
New bat coronavirus discovered in China sparks pandemic concerns
The discovery of a new bat coronavirus in China has sparked concerns about another pandemic. The virus, named HKU5-CoV-2, is similar to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in that it targets the same human receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2), according to a report in the South China Morning Post. HKU5-CoV-2 could potentially lead to human-to-human or even cross-species transmission, the researchers found. The research team was led by Zheng-Li Shi at Guangzhou Laboratory in Guangdong, China. Shi, who is known as the "batwoman," worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, which came under fire as the potential source of COVID-19. "This study reveals a distinct lineage of HKU5-CoVs in bats that efficiently use human ACE2 and underscores their potential zoonotic risk," the researchers wrote in the study, which was published in the scientific journal Cell on Feb. 18. Researchers from the Guangzhou Academy of Sciences, Wuhan University and the Wuhan Institute of Virology also contributed. In the study, HKU5-CoV-2 was found to infect human cells as well as artificially grown lung and intestine tissues, according to reports. Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, noted that bats are known to harbor several different species of coronaviruses. "In this case, Shi-Zhengli discovered that a pipistrellus species of bats is carrying a HKU5-COV2 coronavirus that is a cousin of the MERS virus, which caused a limited outbreak in humans in 2012," Siegel told Fox News Digital. "Even as we continue to investigate potential human pathogens, it is very important that we not give in to fear." "This particular strain has an ability to bind to the same receptor in the lungs, nose and respiratory passages that allowed SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) to infect humans — so there is a chance of what is known as zoonotic spillover, where this virus could also infect humans and go human to human," he confirmed. The doctor stated, however, that the risk of this happening remains "very low," as the binding is weaker and the virus is "much less powerful" than SARS-CoV-2. "Even as we continue to investigate potential human pathogens, and even as we prepare for possible pandemics, it is very important that we not give in to fear," Siegel said. "The COVID pandemic is the worst in a century, but it doesn't mean another is about to happen from bird flu or this or anything else." In an ideal scenario, Siegel said, an international consortium of scientists could be established to help provide global protection. "That certainly did not happen with the COVID pandemic, and the cloak of secrecy remains," he said. "But studies like this, published in a prominent journal, are a step in the right direction." For more Health articles, visit "What we know far less about is exactly what research on bat coronaviruses is being conducted in that lab."
Gulf Insider
22-02-2025
- Health
- Gulf Insider
China Reports New Coronavirus ‘With Pandemic Potential' Discovered
Another coronavirus feared to be powerful enough to spread through humans has been discovered in China. In scenes eerily reminiscent of the beginnings of Covid, researchers at the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology detected the new strain living within bats. HKU5-CoV-2 is strikingly similar to the pandemic virus, sparking fears that history could repeat itself just two years after the worst was declared over. The new virus is even closer related to MERS, a deadlier type of coronavirus that kills up to a third of people it infects. Virologist Shi Zhengli, known as 'Batwoman' for her work on coronaviruses, led the discovery, published in a top scientific journal. The new HKU5-CoV-2 is a coronavirus belonging to the merbecovirus family of pathogens. Merbecoviruses have been detected in minks and pangolins – the animal believed to be the intermediary for Covid between bats and humans. This, the scientists wrote, 'suggests frequent cross-species transmission of these viruses between bats and other animal species.' They added: 'This study reveals a distinct lineage of HKU5-CoVs in bats that efficiently use human [cells] and underscores their potential zoonotic risk.' HKU5-CoV viruses were first detected in bats in 2006, but the new data suggests HKU5-CoV-2 has a 'higher potential for interspecies infection' than others. However, the potential for HKU5-CoV-2 to spill over to humans 'remains to be investigated.' The research was conducted by the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is at the center of the lab-leak theory, which claims Covid-19 was manufactured in a Chinese lab and accidentally leaked to the public. While stocks overall were dumped on the report. Drugmakers, like MRNA and PFE surged. Bonds are bid as safe-haven flows hit… The market is extremely anxious here but for now, this seems like the catalyst for this leg down – however farcical that may seem.
