Scary New Viruses Found in Bats Raise 'Urgent' Concerns

Some bats in China aren't just hanging around; they're hiding seriously concerning secrets. Phys.org reports researchers have discovered two new viruses in bat kidneys that are closely related to the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses—pathogens that can cause severe brain inflammation and respiratory disease in humans. The newly identified microbes were found as part of a study of 142 bats across five regions of the Chinese province of Yunnan, where scientists dug deeper than usual—into the animals' internal organs instead of just their droppings. That shift in focus paid off. Using advanced genetic sequencing, the team found 22 different viruses, 20 of which were completely new to science.

The most alarming are two novel henipaviruses—relatives of Nipah and Hendra—that were detected in fruit bats roosting near village orchards. Because henipaviruses can spread through bat urine, the findings raise concerns about contaminated fruit and the potential for human or livestock infections. "By analyzing the infectome of bat kidneys collected near village orchards and caves in Yunnan, we uncovered...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," said the study's authors. And others in the scientific community are raising red flags. Molecular virologist professor Vinod Balasubramaniam of Australia's Monash University said in a statement via Newsweek: "These viruses are particularly concerning because they were predominantly found in bat kidneys, a site linked to urine production, raising alarm about potential human exposure via contaminated fruits or water."

In addition to viruses, the researchers discovered a new protozoan parasite, tentatively named Klossiella yunnanensis, and two dominant bacterial species—one of which is completely new and has been named Flavobacterium yunnanensis. While these microbes don't pose the same immediate threat as the henipaviruses, they still deepen our understanding of the hidden microbial worlds inside bats and how they might interact with ecosystems or human health. The authors said, "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."