Scientists in China have discovered a new type of coronavirus in bats that can infect human cells, but experts say it does not pose a public health threat—at the moment.
Scientists reported to the journal ‘Cell’ that they found the virus, named HKU5-CoV-2 in samples taken from a Pipistrellus bat.
As with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, it uses ACE2 receptors to enter human cells.
However, there is no evidence that the virus has currently infected humans, and US government health experts say it does not spread as easily as the COVID-19 virus.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told CNN: “There is no reason to believe that it currently poses a public health concern,” adding that “it will continue to monitor viral disease activity and provide important updates to the public.”
Scientists from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were able to identify the virus while studying bats. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), according to the health website HealthDay News.
Laboratory tests confirmed that HKU5-CoV-2 can infect human cells, but not as efficiently as the virus that causes COVID-19.
No cause for concern
A professor of global health and epidemiology at George Mason University’s College of Public Health, Amira Roess, told CNN that there is no cause for concern.
“The researchers themselves indicate that this should not cause panic,” she assured.
Laboratory tests also showed that existing antiviral drugs used against COVID work against HKU5-CoV-2.
A professor at the University of Washington Medical Center, Alex Greninger, said that the discovery was not surprising.
He added, “It’s likely that there are a large number of coronaviruses circulating in bats that can enter human cells.”
Experts stressed that HKU5-CoV-2 should not divert attention from more pressing health threats, such as the avian flu now spreading among birds, cows, and cats.
Greninger said, “They’re here every winter, so frankly, we should be talking about those and not HKU5.”
This view was echoed by an assistant professor of molecular biology at Colorado College, Phoebe Lostroh, author of ‘Molecular and Cellular Biology of Viruses.’
She told CNN, “We should be more concerned about issues like bird flu and its impact on cows, cats, and all kinds of other mammals than a new coronavirus isolated from a group of bats in China that reminds us of SARS-CoV-2 but isn’t really a breakthrough discovery.”
Despite the lack of an immediate threat, Roess noted that the study highlights the importance of global health surveillance.
She added, “It’s sad to think about how we isolate ourselves from the global public health world.”
The study on the new coronavirus in China also serves as a reminder to avoid close contact with wildlife, especially birds and bats.
“There are other things that bats carry that could be a big problem for people,” Roess said.
She concluded, “So respect these wild animals, and don’t interact with them too much, because you could end up hurting them and hurting yourself.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
