New Bat Coronavirus Raises Concerns Among Scientists

DGIX

February 22, 2025

The discovery of the new bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, was announced on February 21, 2025, following research led by virologist Shi Zhengli.

A newly identified bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, has sparked concerns due to its potential to infect humans.

Chinese researchers, led by virologist Shi Zhengli, discovered the virus during ongoing studies of bat-borne pathogens.

Shi, often referred to as “Batwoman” for her extensive research in the field, is affiliated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has been at the center of controversy regarding COVID-19’s origins.

Despite various theories, Shi has denied any link between her lab and the COVID-19 outbreak.

Why Scientists Are Paying Attention

Coronaviruses exist in large numbers, but only a few are known to jump to humans.

Among those that have caused severe outbreaks are SARS, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus responsible for COVID-19), and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).

The new virus, HKU5-CoV-2, attaches to ACE2 receptors, the same entry point used by SARS-CoV-2 to infect human cells.

This similarity raises concerns about its potential to spread beyond bats.

Understanding HKU5-CoV-2

This novel coronavirus belongs to the merbecovirus group, which also includes MERS.

Its ability to bind effectively to human ACE2 receptors suggests a higher likelihood of human infection compared to many other bat coronaviruses.

Scientists employed Cryo-EM, an advanced imaging technique, to examine the virus’s structure and how it interacts with human cells.

Their experiments demonstrated that HKU5-CoV-2 can successfully infect human cell cultures and organoid models, reinforcing the need for further research.

Research Findings

A study published in Cell highlights that bat merbecoviruses closely related to MERS-CoV could pose a risk of jumping to humans.

Transmission might occur either directly from bats or through an intermediary host.

The study notes:

“Structural and functional analyses indicate that HKU5-CoV-2 has a better adaptation to human ACE2 than lineage 1 HKU5-CoV.”

The researchers further reported:

“Authentic HKU5-CoV-2 infected human ACE2-expressing cell lines and human respiratory and enteric organoids.”

“This study identifies a unique lineage of HKU5-CoVs in bats that effectively binds to human ACE2, highlighting its potential zoonotic threat.”

What Comes Next?

Although the virus has demonstrated the ability to infect human cells, it remains uncertain whether it poses a direct health threat.

Scientists emphasize the need for additional research to determine whether it could spread among humans and cause disease.

Reference

Paul Moosman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chen, Jing and Zhang, Wei and Li, Yang et al.

Merbecovirus HKU5 Lineage 2 Discovered in Bats Utilizes Human ACE2 as Cell Receptor.

Cell.

Read the study here.

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