New Bat Coronavirus Sparks Pandemic Fears
A new bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, has been discovered by a Chinese research team, raising concerns about its potential to infect humans. Similar to SARS-CoV-2, HKU5-CoV-2 utilizes the human ACE2 receptor for infection, exhibiting a higher potential for human infection than other coronaviruses. This finding, published in *Cell*, was determined through cryo-EM analysis showing HKU5-CoV-2’s ability to infect human cell cultures. While further investigation is needed, the study highlights the zoonotic risk posed by bat merbecoviruses.
John Q. Hosedrinker