New Coronavirus Discovered in Chinese Bat That Has Potential for Animal-to-Human Transmission

It has a higher potential to infect humans than other coronaviruses because of the way it binds to human ACE2, making it similar to SARS-CoV-2 and NL63 (a common cold virus).

Leading virologist Shi Zhengli, dubbed the "batwoman" for her extensive studies on bat coronaviruses, oversaw the study at the Guangzhou Laboratory with assistance from experts from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan University, and the Guangzhou Academy of Sciences.

Sharing their discovery in the journal Cell, the Beijing-funded researchers admitted it posed a ‘high risk of spillover to humans, either through direct transmission or facilitated by intermediate hosts,'” Chief Nerd wrote, citing Daily Mail.

Research was led by Shi Zhengli, a virologist known as the ‘batwoman’, who is best known for her work on coronaviruses at a lab in Wuhan.

China News: Scientists in China have identified a new bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, capable of infecting humans by binding to the ACE2 receptor, similar to SARS-Co