Researchers have discovered two new viruses in bats that are closely related to the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses — pathogens that can cause severe brain inflammation and respiratory disease in humans.
The viruses, as well as other new viruses, bacteria, and parasites identified from bat kidneys, were reported this week in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Yun Feng of the Yunnan Institute of Endemic Disease Control and Prevention, China, and colleagues.
Bats are natural reservoirs for a wide range of microorganisms, including many notable pathogens that have been transmitted to humans. However, a full survey of the diverse array of viruses, fungi, bacteria, and parasites that infect bats has been lacking. Most previous studies have focused on bat feces rather than the animals’ organs.
In the new study, researchers looked inside the kidneys of 142 bats from ten species, collected over four years across five areas of Yunnan province, China. Using advanced genetic sequencing, the team found 22 viruses — 20 of them never seen before.
Two of the most concerning were new henipaviruses, the same genus as Nipah and Hendra viruses, which are known for their high fatality rates in humans. The henipaviruses were found in fruit bats living near orchards close to human villages. Since henipaviruses can spread through urine, the study raises concerns about contaminated fruit and the risk of these viruses jumping to humans or livestock.
The research also identified a novel protozoan parasite, tentatively named Klossiella yunnanensis, along with two highly abundant bacterial species, one of which is a newly discovered species — Flavobacterium yunnanensis.
“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 authors say.
The authors add: «By analyzing the infectome of bat kidneys collected near village orchards and caves in Yunnan, we uncovered not only the diverse microbes bats carry, but also the first full-length genomes of novel bat-borne henipaviruses closely related to Hendra and Nipah viruses identified in China—raising urgent concerns about the potential for these viruses to spill over into humans or livestock.”
