Chinese virologists say new bat coronavirus could infect humans via same route as Covid-19

Beijing: A Chinese team of virologists have found a new bat coronavirus that carries the risk of animal-to-human transmission because it uses the same human receptor as the virus that causes Covid-19, a media report said.

The study was led by Shi Zhengli, Chinese virologist from the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), where the Covid-19 was alleged to have emanated from.

Shi, who is known as the Bat Woman for her research on viruses from the Bats, as well as the Chinese government deny that the virus was leaked from the Wuhan lab.

The latest discovery is a new lineage of the HKU5 coronavirus first identified in the Japanese pipistrelle bat in Hong Kong.

The new virus comes from the merbecovirus subgenus, which also includes the virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), the Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reported.

The virus is able to bind to the human angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE2), the same receptor used by the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, to infect cells.

“We report the discovery and isolation of a distinct lineage (lineage 2) of HKU5-CoV, which can utilise not only bat ACE2 but also human ACE2 and various mammalian ACE2 orthologs [– genes found in different species with a common origin],” the team of virologists headed by Shi wrote in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell on Tuesday, according to the Post report.

The researchers found that when the virus was isolated from bat samples it could infect human cells as well as artificially grown masses of cell or tissue that resembled miniaturised respiratory or intestinal organs.

Earlier this month, China said its bio-lab in Wuhan which faced allegations leaking the COVD-19 causing the global pandemic has never engaged in “gain-of-function studies” on coronavirus amid allegations that USAID has funded the study of the infectious disease.

“China has also made it clear more than once that the Wuhan Institute of Virology has never engaged in gain-of-function studies of coronavirus,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a media briefing here responding to allegations in US that the USAID taxpayers’ money was used to fund gain-of-function studies at the Chinese bio-lab.

Gain-of-function research is medical research that genetically alters an organism in a way that may enhance the biological functions of gene products.

“Never has it designed, made or leaked Covid-19. On the origins-tracing of the virus, China firmly opposes all forms of political manipulation”, Guo said.

According to recent American media reports, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) used taxpayers’ money to fund gain-of-function studies at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, which may have caused the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to the deaths of millions around the world.

Trump has shut down the USAID work that was not aligned with American strategic interests and wastes money.

The Wuhan bio-lab was constantly under scanner, especially during the previous Trump presidency.

Guo said at a media briefing on February 12 here that “It is 'extremely unlikely' that the Covid-19 pandemic was caused by a lab leak — this is the authoritative conclusion reached by the experts of the WHO-China joint mission based on science following their field trips to the lab in Wuhan and in-depth communication with researchers”.