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Business Standard
29 minutes ago
- Health
- Business Standard
Scientists find new 'brain-inflaming' bat viruses in China: Should we worry
Scientists in China have discovered 20 new viruses in bats, including two that are closely related to the deadly Nipah and Hendra, which are known to cause severe brain inflammation and respiratory illness in humans. The findings, published in the journal PLOS Pathogens on Tuesday, raise concerns about potential spillover to humans and livestock through contamination from bat urine. What did scientists find in the Yunnan bat study? Researchers at the Yunnan Institute of Endemic Disease Control and Prevention analysed kidney samples from 142 bats across 10 species collected between 2017 and 2021. The study found 22 viruses—20 of which were previously unknown. Two of the most concerning were Yunnan bat henipavirus 1 and 2, closely related to Hendra and Nipah viruses, both of which are highly fatal to humans and animals. Are these viruses transmissible through bat urine? Yes, and this is what alarms scientists. The viruses were found in the kidneys—organs responsible for urine production—suggesting that urine may be a possible transmission route. Contaminated fruit or water sources near bat roosting sites could allow the viruses to infect humans or livestock. Did the study find anything else unusual? Yes. The scientists also identified a new protozoan parasite (Klossiella yunnanensis) and a previously unknown bacterial species (Flavobacterium yunnanensis) in significant quantities. This points to a more complex infectome in bats than previously assumed and highlights the importance of multi-organ pathogen surveillance. Could this discovery lead to another pandemic? There is no immediate threat, but virologists are concerned. Dr Tushar Tayal, Consultant, Internal Medicine, CK Birla Hospital, told Business Standard: 'This is a serious reminder that dangerous viruses are still hidden in nature. What's worrying is that this possible urine-based transmission route has not received enough attention.' While there is no proof of an outbreak, the possibility of zoonotic spillover cannot be ruled out. Why are spillovers becoming more frequent? Human encroachment into natural habitats and climate change are increasing contact between wildlife and people. Dr Tayal warns that 'the next pandemic could come from sources we haven't even fully understood yet.' He urges stronger virus tracing, investment in advanced research, and inclusion of wildlife monitoring in public health policy. Where were these bats found? The bats were roosting near fruit orchards close to rural villages—areas where human contact is highly likely. Associate Professor Vinod Balasubramaniam, Molecular Virologist at Monash University Malaysia, noted the significance of this proximity: 'The kidney discovery raises alarm about exposure through contaminated fruit or water.' What steps can prevent future outbreaks? Experts recommend: Expanding surveillance of bat organs—especially kidneys and urine pathways Improving local public health infrastructure Educating communities to wash or cover fruit and boil water Monitoring wildlife as part of national epidemic preparedness
West Australian
3 hours ago
- Health
- West Australian
‘Urgent concerns' after new bat viruses detected in China with links to deadly Hendra and Nipah pathogens
Scientists have raised 'urgent concerns' after the discovery of new bat pathogens in China that are closely related to the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses. The prospect of these viruses jumping the species barrier to humans is fuelling this concern, with the newly discovered henipaviruses detected in the kidneys of bats inhabiting orchards near villages in the Yunnan province. University of Sydney wildlife disease ecologist Dr Alison Peel wasn't involved directly in the study, which was published on Wednesday in the PLOS Pathogens journal, but works on related research. Dr Peel said there had been an emphasis on bat-borne viruses since Hendra emerged in Brisbane more than 30 years ago. 'We know that there are some viruses that bats can carry that can be really dangerous when they spill over into other species,' Dr Peel told The Nightly's News Worthy podcast. 'Hendra virus, which is in flying foxes here in Australia, and Nipah virus, which is found in Bangladesh and other parts of Asia, are examples of those really highly pathogenic viruses, which, when they spill over, are highly fatal in people.' The new study was led by Yun Feng of the Yunnan Institute of Endemic Disease Control and Prevention, and took a different approach to previous research. 'When we sample from bats in Australia, we don't euthanise the animals, we just collect their urine or their faeces and look for viruses in that, and, for Hendra virus in particular, we found that it's often excreted in the urine,' Dr Peel said. By comparison, the Chinese study took samples from actual kidney tissue in 142 bats across 10 species and discovered the presence of 22 viruses of which 20 were novel pathogens. 'Every species has their own suite of viruses, but the interesting thing about bats is that they evolved a long, long time ago and have the capability of flight and they're mammals,' Dr Peel said. 'Humans and a lot of the species that we interact with have a lot of similar biological and immunological processes, but the bat's capability for flight meant that they had to adjust their physiology and their immune system in new ways. 'And so that co-evolutionary process with the viruses that they host started to go down a different path, so when those viruses are in contact with humans, as is increasingly happening as we encroach on their environments and remove their food sources and things like that, our immune systems haven't evolved the same capabilities to defend ourselves against some of these viruses.' The authors of the new research added they had 'urgent concerns about the potential for these viruses to spill over into humans or livestock' in the future, something Dr Peel said would now be a focus of ongoing research. 'There are two main areas for future work — one is lab-based studies to try and understand more about these particular viruses and whether they are of concern,' Dr Peel said. 'The other avenue is to understand more about the ecological context of the bats that these came from ... because it's only through really incorporating deep ecological knowledge about the species that we can actually use that to predict risk and find ways to counteract that.'
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Health
- Perth Now
‘Urgent concerns' after deadly viruses found in Chinese bats
Scientists have raised 'urgent concerns' after the discovery of new bat pathogens in China that are closely related to the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses. The prospect of these viruses jumping the species barrier to humans is fuelling this concern, with the newly discovered henipaviruses detected in the kidneys of bats inhabiting orchards near villages in the Yunnan province. University of Sydney wildlife disease ecologist Dr Alison Peel wasn't involved directly in the study, which was published on Wednesday in the PLOS Pathogens journal, but works on related research. Dr Peel said there had been an emphasis on bat-borne viruses since Hendra emerged in Brisbane more than 30 years ago. 'We know that there are some viruses that bats can carry that can be really dangerous when they spill over into other species,' Dr Peel told The Nightly's News Worthy podcast. 'Hendra virus, which is in flying foxes here in Australia, and Nipah virus, which is found in Bangladesh and other parts of Asia, are examples of those really highly pathogenic viruses, which, when they spill over, are highly fatal in people.' The new study was led by Yun Feng of the Yunnan Institute of Endemic Disease Control and Prevention, and took a different approach to previous research. 'When we sample from bats in Australia, we don't euthanise the animals, we just collect their urine or their faeces and look for viruses in that, and, for Hendra virus in particular, we found that it's often excreted in the urine,' Dr Peel said. By comparison, the Chinese study took samples from actual kidney tissue in 142 bats across 10 species and discovered the presence of 22 viruses of which 20 were novel pathogens. 'Every species has their own suite of viruses, but the interesting thing about bats is that they evolved a long, long time ago and have the capability of flight and they're mammals,' Dr Peel said. 'Humans and a lot of the species that we interact with have a lot of similar biological and immunological processes, but the bat's capability for flight meant that they had to adjust their physiology and their immune system in new ways. 'And so that co-evolutionary process with the viruses that they host started to go down a different path, so when those viruses are in contact with humans, as is increasingly happening as we encroach on their environments and remove their food sources and things like that, our immune systems haven't evolved the same capabilities to defend ourselves against some of these viruses.' The authors of the new research added they had 'urgent concerns about the potential for these viruses to spill over into humans or livestock' in the future, something Dr Peel said would now be a focus of ongoing research. 'There are two main areas for future work — one is lab-based studies to try and understand more about these particular viruses and whether they are of concern,' Dr Peel said. 'The other avenue is to understand more about the ecological context of the bats that these came from ... because it's only through really incorporating deep ecological knowledge about the species that we can actually use that to predict risk and find ways to counteract that.'
India Today
4 hours ago
- Health
- India Today
Scientists discover 20 new viruses in Chinese bats, could spread to humans
In a new study, scientists have discovered 20 new viruses in bats from China's Yunnan of these viruses are genetically similar to deadly viruses called Hendra and Nipah, which have caused serious disease outbreaks in humans and animals in the research was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Pathogens. It involved collecting kidney tissue samples from 142 bats between 2017 and The scientists used genetic testing to identify viruses, bacteria, and even a new parasite -- all previously unknown to THESE FINDINGS MATTERSome of the newly found viruses were present in the bats' kidneys. This is especially worrying because the kidneys produce urine, which can contaminate fruit or water if bats urinate near orchards or water or animals who eat or drink the contaminated items could then be at risk of infection. The scientists used genetic testing to identify viruses, bacteria, and even a new parasite -- all previously unknown to science. () "These viruses are particularly concerning because they were predominantly found in bat kidneys, raising alarm about potential human exposure via contaminated fruits or water," said molecular virologist Professor Vinod Balasubramaniam from Monash University in two newly discovered henipaviruses have been named Yunnan bat henipavirus 1 and 2. They share about 52% to 57% of their genetic material with the known and deadly Hendra and Nipah past outbreaks, these viruses have caused severe brain infections and high death rates in both people and WERE THESE BATS FOUND?The bats in this study were discovered roosting near fruit orchards close to villages in rural Yunnan. This raises the risk that their urine could contaminate fruits that people or farm animals could eat, increasing the chance of a virus jumping from bats to humans, a process called STUDY BAT KIDNEYS?Earlier research on bat viruses focused on bat feces. But this study looked inside the bats, especially their kidneys, to find out what kinds of viruses and microbes live there. Two new viruses found share about 52% to 57% of their genetic material with the known and deadly Hendra and Nipah viruses. () Scientists say that this area of bat biology is not well studied, even though kidneys could play a big role in how diseases are are known to carry many viruses that can infect people. In fact, bats have been linked to the spread of diseases like Ebola, SARS, MERS, and even viruses can reach humans either directly or through other animals, often through food or water contaminated by bat NEW ORGANISMS FOUNDIn addition to the 22 viruses (20 of them completely new), the scientists also found:A new single-celled parasite, now named Klossiella yunnanensisTwo common bacterial species, including one that has never been described before, now called Flavobacterium yunnanensis Bats are known to carry many viruses that can infect people. These discoveries show that bats can carry a wide mix of micro-organisms many of which we still don't THIS MEANS GOING FORWARDThe scientists say their findings show why it's important to study the full range of microbes inside bats, not just the ones in their what lives in bat organs like kidneys can help scientists better predict and prevent future disease said the Yunnan region has a climate similar to areas where Nipah outbreaks have happened before, like Malaysia. This makes it even more important to keep a close watch on wildlife in the believe more studies like this are needed to monitor the spread of new viruses in animals before they have a chance to reach humans.- Ends
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Scientists find 20 unknown viruses related to deadly human diseases in Chinese bats
Scientists have discovered 20 previously unknown viruses in bats from China's Yunnan province, including two closely related to the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses, raising fresh concerns about the risk of animal pathogens infecting people. The viruses related to Nipah and Hendra came from fruit bats caught near orchards close to villages, places where people and farm animals are more likely to come into contact with wildlife.(Pixabay/Representational) The viruses related to Nipah and Hendra came from fruit bats caught near orchards close to villages, places where people and farm animals are more likely to come into contact with wildlife. The findings, published Tuesday in the journal PLOS Pathogens, underscore how much remains unknown about the microbes carried by bats — animals that serve as natural hosts for some of the world's most dangerous pathogens. Scientists have long warned that climate change, farming expansion, and urbanization are bringing animals and people into closer contact, increasing the likelihood of new viruses emerging and sparking outbreaks, as seen with SARS, Ebola, and Covid-19. 'This study highlights that we know very little about the viruses that infect bats and those that exist in our world more generally,' said Tim Mahony, director of the Centre for Animal Science at Australia's University of Queensland, who wasn't part of the study. The research involved scientists from China and the University of Sydney, who examined the kidneys of 142 bats collected over four years in Yunnan. They identified 22 viruses in total, 20 of which hadn't been previously recorded. Among them were two henipaviruses closely related to Nipah and Hendra, which can cause fatal brain inflammation and respiratory illness in people, with mortality rates as high as 75%. The team also reported two new bacterial species and one previously unknown parasite. While most studies of bat viruses focus on feces, the researchers looked at kidney tissue, which plays a role in virus shedding through urine — a lesser-studied but potentially important route of transmission. The two new henipaviruses were found in fruit bats living near agricultural areas, where urine from bats may contaminate fruit that's eaten by people or livestock. The findings 'underscore critical zoonotic threats,' the study authors wrote, adding that the potential for such viruses to infect humans or farm animals needs urgent attention. Despite the potential implications, one of the study's corresponding authors declined to speak in detail, telling Bloomberg by email that 'the topic is quite sensitive' due to how politically charged it has become. Experts say the discovery is scientifically significant, though it's still too early to know how dangerous the new viruses might be. 'This discovery basically further confirms the diversity of bat viruses in general and henipaviruses in particular,' said Linfa Wang, professor at the Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases at Duke-NUS Medical School. 'My overall assessment is that we need to watch closely, but not be overly concerned at the present time.'
