Scientists raise ‘urgent concerns’ over new bat viruses discovered in China

Experts have raised ‘urgent concerns’ after finding two new bat viruses in China that have the potential to infect humans and cause issues such as severe brain inflammation and respiratory disease. The bats were discovered in orchards in southwestern China’s Yunnan province (Picture: Getty)

What did the researchers find?

The researchers, who published their findings in the journal PLoS Pathogens, found that the viruses are closely related to the deadly Nipha and Hendra pathogens. Nipha is a lethal pathogen known to cause severe disease and has a high mortality rate of 35-75%. The Hendra pathogen has been responsible for outbreaks which have been fatal in both humans and horses (Picture: Getty)

Why is this concerning?

The experts are concerned as the pathogens could potentially infect people, and there is currently no medication nor vaccine to treat them. The researchers said: ‘These viruses are naturally hosted by fruit bats and are typically transmitted to humans through bat urine or saliva, often via contamination of food sources' (Picture: Getty)

They added: ‘By analysing the infectome [the collection of microorganisms] of bat kidneys collected near village orchards and caves in Yunnan, we uncovered not only the diverse microbes bats carry, but also the first full-length genomes of novel bat-borne henipaviruses closely related to Hendra and Nipah viruses identified in China – raising urgent concerns about the potential for these viruses to spill over into humans or livestock’ (Picture: Getty)

What did the researchers do?

A team from the Yunnan Institute of Endemic Disease Control and Prevention looked at the kidneys of 142 bats from 10 species over the period of four years. In total, they found 22 viruses through genetic sequencing, and 20 of them have never been seen before. The two most concerning viruses were the Nipha and  Hendra pathogens, which were found in fruit bats (Picture: Getty)

The researchers say that the findings underscore the need for a multi-organ screening approach to understand the microbial diversity harboured by bats. They said: ‘These findings broaden our understanding of the bat kidney infectome, underscore critical zoonotic threats and highlight the need for comprehensive, full-spectrum microbial analyses of previously understudied organs to better assess spillover risks from bat populations’ (Picture: Getty)

Dr Nias Peng, a virologist who was not involved in the study, said: ‘While the findings are based on bat kidney samples and do not confirm imminent outbreaks, they reveal how much we still don’t know about the microbes bats carry. Those henipaviruses were identified in fruit bats living near orchards close to human settlements near the southern borders of China, highlighting a real risk of transmission through bat urine-contaminated fruits consumed by humans and livestock' (Picture: Getty)

The issue with bats

Bats are considered to be natural reservoirs for microorganisms, including some that have previously been transmitted to humans. One theory suggests the coronavirus, which shut down the world in 2020, originated in bats and spilled over to people triggering the most recent pandemic. The animals have also been linked to Ebola and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreaks (Picture: Getty)