Extensive study on the coronavirus has revealed a fresh bat virus, HKU5-CoV-2. According to a study published in Cell, the virus causing COVID-19 can use the same ACE2 receptor as SARS-CoV-2 to penetrate human cells.
HKU5-CoV-2: Origin and traits
The merbecovirus subgenus—including the MERS virus—includes HKU5-CoV-2. Originally found in Japanese pipistrelle bats in Hong Kong. The ability of the virus to bind with human ACE2 receptors raises worries about possible animal-to-human transmission.
Transmission and potential hazards.
HKU5-CoV-2 strains from bats across several Chinese provinces were gathered by Wuhan Institute of Virology personnel. Using a protein characteristic called a “furin cleavage site,” which operates much like SARS-CoV-2, lab tests revealed that the virus could bind to human cell membranes.
There is also no proof the virus can transmit effectively between people. Expert on infectious disease Dr. Since greater immunity to related viruses could offer some protection, Michael Osterholm claimed the research is “overblown.”
Nothing to be afraid of immediately
Although HKU5-CoV-2 can infect human cells in laboratory conditions, specialists stress that the danger of extensive spread is low. The virus has “low transferability risk,” according to Dr. Sanjeev Bagai, and lacking mutations that would make it very contagious or pathogenic.
Already, the World Health Organization (WHO) has ranked merbecoviruses as a front-line concern for pandemic readiness. Ongoing zoonotic disease surveillance is absolutely needed by researchers to avert future epidemics.
Treatment Options
Studies indicate that HKU5-CoV-2 might produce human infections, so antiviral drugs and monoclonal antibodies could be effective in fighting them. These approaches are already employed in fight to fight COVID-19 and other viruses.
Market response to the find is
Shares of vaccine makers rose in response to reports of the virus. Modernas Incorporated saw a 6.6% increase while Novavax Inc. did so we saw a 6.6% increase later. rose 7.8%. Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine partner, BioNTech SE, suffered a 5.1 percent increase in their U.S. depository notes.
