Virologists in China have identified a new coronavirus in bats.

Chinese virologists have discovered a new CORONAVIRUS in bats during a study that can infect humans in the same way ascovid-19 . This was reported by the newspaper SouthCHINA Morning Post (SCMP) citing a study by Chinese experts.

According to the publication, the discovered virus  is a new lineage of coronavirus (Pipistrellus batCORONAVIRUS HKU5), which was identified in Hong Kong in the Japanese pipistrelle, a genus of smooth-nosed bats that includes about 40 species.

The study was conducted in a Guangzhou laboratory in collaboration with specialists from the Guangzhou branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences , as well as Wuhan University and the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The study was led by Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli, known in medical circles as "the bat" for her work on coronavirus research in the Wuhan laboratory.

According to the study, HKU5-CoV can utilize not only the bat membrane protein ACE2, but also human ACE2 and various mammalian ACE2 orthologs (genes found in different species with a common origin). Virologists discovered that the virus isolated from bat samples can infect human cells.

Experts note that the new virus, dubbed HKU5-CoV-2, "may have a broader host range and a higher potential for cross-species transmission," but there is no cause for concern yet, as the risk of HKU5-CoV-2 emerging in human populations should not be exaggerated. Chinese experts add that further, more thorough research is needed.

In September 2024 , scientists from the United States , France, the United Kingdom , and other countries published a joint study indicating that the Huanan market, where the largest number of wild animals were sold, was the source of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. The scientists found that in late autumn 2019, several vendors illegally sold wild animals there, including raccoon dogs, civets, bamboo rats, Malayan porcupines, Amur hedgehogs, and Asian badgers. Most of the vendors of these wild animals were located in the west wing of the market, where the earliest and most cases of COVID-19 infection at the market were also recorded. Traces of the coronavirus were found on cages where the animals were kept, on carts used to transport them, in sewage drains, and elsewhere. The scientists found that the samples taken genetically matched the common ancestor of the entire pandemic.

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