A newly discovered coronavirus species found in bats uses the same protein used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 pandemic to enter human cells, and could one day spread to humans, Chinese researchers have discovered.
However, as reported in the journal Cell, it has not yet evolved to be able to infect humans like the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Chinese virologists point out that this bat virus, named HKU5-CoV-2, enters cells through the ACE2 protein.
Laboratory experiments had shown that cells in test tubes with a high concentration of the ACE2 protein were more likely to become infected. It also appeared to affect the human body’s intestines and respiratory tract.
Further research has also identified antibodies and antiviral drugs that can target this virus.
However, Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota in the United States, points out that with vaccination, a significant majority of the world’s population should be immune to viruses like SARS, so even if this new virus spreads among humans, it is unlikely to be as severe as before.
