A newly discovered bat coronavirus could at some point spread to humans like COVID-19, Chinese researchers have found.
The virus, HKU5-CoV-2, does not enter human cells as readily as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, the scientists reported in the journal Cell.
However, they found that the bat virus uses the same cell-surface protein, ACE2, as SARS-CoV-2 to help it enter human cells.
In lab experiments, HKU5-CoV-2 infected human cells with high ACE2 levels in test tubes and in models of human intestines and airways.
Read more science and technology news:
How AI is being used to manipulate German voters
New prostate cancer screening trial announced
Donated placenta saved acid attack victim’s eye
In further experiments, the researchers identified antibodies and antiviral drugs that are able to target the bat…