Viruses that originated in bats have overwhelmed humans in past pandemics, and more could be on the way if mutations end up allowing them to spread. An understudied group of coronaviruses known as merbecoviruses contains one viral type of particular concern: HKU5.
A new study published in Nature Communications found that while most merbecoviruses don’t appear likely to impact humans, HKU5 may eventually pose a threat. Bat-borne HKU5 viruses haven't reached humans yet, but all it would take to make the leap is a small mutation that would let them use a host receptor in our bodies, ACE2. Scientists are now keeping a close eye on HKU5, as there’s no telling when it might evolve into a dangerous public health situation.
One kind of merbecovirus already has a history of infecting humans: the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Experts identified the first case of MERS in 2012, and it ...
