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By Melissa Fleur Afshar
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Twenty new viruses have been discovered within bats in China, "raising urgent concerns" that these diseases might spill over into livestock or even humans.
Using genetic sequencing, researchers identified 22 viruses in the kidney tissues of 142 bats collected in Yunnan province between 2017 and 2021—with two being genetically similar to the deadly Hendra and Nipah henipaviruses.
The analysis also unveiled other species of bacteria and a parasite which had all previously been unknown to science.
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According to the team, the bats were found roosting near fruit orchards adjacent to rural yet populated villages.
The researchers have warned that urine can serve as a transmission route in henipaviruses, raising the risk that the bats could contaminate fruit consumed by humans or animals, potentially paving the way to an outbreak.
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The study—in particular the discovery of two previously unknown henipaviruses now named Yunnan bat henipavirus 1 and 2—marks the first full-length genomes of this virus type detected in Chinese bats.
"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," said molecular virologist professor Vinod Balasubramaniam of Australia's Monash University in a statement.
Henipaviruses have been responsible for high-fatality outbreaks in the past. The newly identified Yunnan bat viruses share 52 to 57 percent of their genetic material with these dangerous counterparts.
Balasubramaniam said that the research highlights Yunnan as a critical region for zoonotic emergence due to how similar its climate is to Nipah-affected parts of the world, like Malaysia.
Alongside the virus discoveries, the team also reported finding a previously unknown single-celled parasite named Klossiella yunnanensis, and two highly-abundant bacterial species—one of which, Flavobacterium yunnanensis, is described for the first time.
While past virological studies in bats had focused on fecal samples, the study made sure to shift its attention to internal organs—especially the kidneys—due to their role in disease transmission.
The findings suggest a broader range of microbial threats may be harbored in these under-studied tissues, potentially increasing the risk of zoonotic transmission.
Bat-borne viruses have been implicated in several major zoonotic disease outbreaks, including Ebola, Marburg, SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. These pathogens can jump to humans directly or through intermediate hosts, often via ingestion of contaminated food or water.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about zoonotic viruses? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Reference
Kuang, G., Yang, T., Yang, W., Wang, J., Pan, H., Pan, Y., Gou, Q., Wu, W., Wang, J., Yang, L., Han, X., Chen, Y., Eden, J.-S., Holmes, E. C., Shi, M., & Feng, Y. (2025). Infectome analysis of bat kidneys from Yunnan province, China, reveals novel henipaviruses related to Hendra and Nipah viruses and prevalent bacterial and eukaryotic microbes. PLOS Pathogens, 21(6). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013235
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