20 new viruses found in bats in China - two are worrying scientists most

A staggering 20 new viruses have been discovered in bats in China that could seriously impact public health across the globe.

Scientists studied inside the kidneys of 142 bats from 10 different species that were collected over a four-year period across China’s Yunnan province in the southwest. A total of 22 were discovered, with just over 90% of them previously unknown until now. The results were published in the PLOS Pathogens journal and two viruses in particular are giving cause for concern, according to medical experts. A pair of henipaviruses were found in fruit bats living close to fruit orchards near local villages.

One of them is now the closest-known relative of the deadly Hendra and Nipah viruses. These pathogens can be spread through urine and have mortality rates between 40 and 80%.

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They can also trigger severe brain inflammation and respiratory disease in humans and are a significant threat to livestock. Fears have been raised about potential fruit contamination that could then be transmitted to animals or people if they ate the food.

“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,” the study’s authors said.

In Australia, there have been 66 known outbreaks of the Hendra virus since the 1994, reports news.com.au. It first emerged in that year and devastated racing stables in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra - which is what the pathogen is named after - killing a trainer and 13 horses.

Four people and dozens of horses have died since as a result of the virus. Vinod Balasubramaniam, a virologist at Monash University in Australia, said that the discovery “hold(s) special relevance” for the country because of its history of Hendra outbreaks linked to bat populations.

The associate professor added: "The similarity between Australian rural environments and Yunnan’s orchards near human settlements stresses the urgency of intensified surveillance and biosecurity measures." While University of Sydney wildlife disease ecologist Dr Alison Peel said the discovery highlights the “potential opportunities for contact” with humans.

Research published in 2023 by Dr Peel on the Hendra virus spill over in Australia “has demonstrated clear links between habitat destruction, loss of natural food, and increased spill over risk."

She added that this could be the case in China. Virologist Dr Yong Gao (Nias) Peng also warned that the findings hold “critical implications” for not only the public health of Australia but also the rest of the world.

Dr Peng noted: “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. Given Australia’s history with Hendra virus outbreaks since its emergence in 1994 to cause multiple fatal infections in horses and humans, this underscores the importance of continued vigilance in rural and peri-urban areas close to bat habitats."

Elsewhere, an rare rabies-like virus has been detected in the UK after an injured bat was rescued from a back garden. The resident wore gloves when they picked up the animal and put it in a shoebox overnight at their home in Shorwell on the Isle of Wight.

The following day, volunteers from the Isle of Wight Bat Hospital took it away. The Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed that the bat was found to have been infected with a virus that caused rabies.

An investigation by the Animal, Plant and Health Agency (APHA) found no scratches or bites to humans or animals.