A virus that causes acute encephalitis and another that causes respiratory diseases

New viruses in bats are more dangerous than coronavirus

 New Viruses Discovered in Bats More Dangerous Than COVID-19

Scientists have discovered two new types of viruses endemic in bats. They found them to be extremely dangerous, potentially fatal, and potentially transmissible to humans. Their transmission means that humanity is awaiting a new pandemic, one that may be more dangerous and destructive than COVID-19 or COVID-19, which terrified the world years ago.

According to a report published by the British newspaper "Daily Mail", researchers discovered a virus that may cause severe encephalitis and another that may cause respiratory disease. They found these two viruses in bats in China.

The scientists said that these two viruses are closely related to the Nipah and Hendra viruses, both of which are deadly to humans. Experts have raised urgent concerns about the potential for these two viruses to be transmitted to local populations, as there are currently no drugs or vaccines available to treat either.

"These findings expand our understanding of bat kidney infections, highlight the serious zoonotic threats, and underscore the need for comprehensive and comprehensive microbial analyses of previously understudied organs to better assess the risk of transmission from bat populations," the researchers said.

To conduct their study, a team from the Yunnan Institute for Endemic Disease Control and Prevention analyzed the kidneys of 142 bats from 10 species collected over four years. Using advanced genetic sequencing, the researchers discovered 22 viruses, 20 of which had never been observed before. Two of the most concerning viruses were novel henipaviruses, closely related to Nipah and Hendra viruses.

These viruses were found in fruit bats (Rousettus leschenaultia) that live near orchards close to human villages in Yunnan Province. Because henipaviruses can be spread through urine, the study raises concerns about contaminated fruit and the risk of these viruses being transmitted to humans.

The researchers wrote in their study: "By analyzing bat kidney samples collected near village orchards and caves in Yunnan Province, we not only identified diverse microbes carried by bats, but also the first full-length genomes of novel bat-borne henipaviruses, closely related to Hendra and Nipah viruses, identified in China."

They said their findings raise "urgent concerns about the potential for these viruses to be transmitted to humans or livestock." Bats are natural reservoirs for a wide range of microorganisms, including some that have previously been transmitted to humans.