Researchers connected to the Wuhan Institute of Virology have discovered a new bat coronavirus.
The virus, called HKU5-CoV-2, uses the ACE2 receptor to infect organisms. The same receptor was used in SARS-CoV-2 to infect humans.
“In this study, we report the discovery and isolation of a distinct lineage (lineage 2) of HKU5-CoV, which can utilize not only bat ACE2 but also human ACE2 and various mammalian ACE2 orthologs,” the study on the virus published in the journal Cell says. “Our data suggest that BtHKU5-CoV-2 exhibits better adaptation to human ACE2 compared with HKU5-CoV-1, as evidenced by enhanced binding affinity, tolerated point mutation on interacting residues, increased infection efficiency in human cells, and replication in human cells and organoids.”
The researchers note that the study suggests the virus “may have a broader host range and a higher potential for interspecies infection.”
Whether there is a human spillover risk “remains to be investigated,” the study says.
The lead researcher on the study, Shi Zheng-Li, also known as “bat lady” or “batwoman” worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News that the risk of the virus infecting humans is “very low.” He emphasized that while people may “prepare for possible pandemics, it is very important that we not give in to fear.”
A December 2024 report from investigative group U.S. Right to Know detailed how the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supported research projects with China. Among the project leaders was Zheng-Li.
A January report from the House Oversight Committee suggests that COVID-19 likely originated from a laboratory incident in Wuhan, China. The committee’s findings challenge earlier dismissals of the lab leak theory, which had been labeled as misinformation during the pandemic.
