‘What can we do with this, other than watch it multiply?': Expert warns over lab-grown bat viruses as 20 new strains discovered

Sky News AU

5 days ago

Scientists are sounding the alarm after 20 new viruses were discovered in fruit bats in southern China - including two that are genetically similar to the deadly Hendra and Nipah viruses.
The findings, published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, have prompted fresh warnings over future spillover threats to humans and livestock - but not all the concern is about the viruses themselves.
Australian infectious diseases expert Professor Peter Collignon has raised concerns over the way such viruses are being studied, warning that lab-based research may give dangerous pathogens a 'head start'.
'It's a concern that these viruses are often grown in laboratories in human or monkey cell types, and you have to ask yourself - what can we do with this other than watch it multiply?' Professor Collignon told SkyNews.com.au.
The viruses were uncovered after researchers examined the kidneys of 142 fruit bats from the Yunnan province, a biodiversity hotspot bordering Myanmar and Laos.
Unlike most studies that analyse bat droppings, this research focused on organ tissues - uncovering a trove of previously unknown viruses and revealing a rarely studied viral reservoir.
Two of the viruses, dubbed Yunnan bat Henipavirus 1 and 2, are particularly concerning due to their genetic similarities to Hendra and Nipah - pathogens known for causing fatal outbreaks in humans and animals, with fatality rates as high as 80 per cent.
The viruses, which can spread via bat urine, were found in animals roosting near orchards and villages - raising concerns about possible transmission to livestock or people via contaminated fruit or surfaces.
The Hendra virus, first detected in Brisbane in 1994, has caused the deaths of four people and dozens of horses in Australia.
With flying fox populations increasingly seen in peri-urban and agricultural areas, the environmental conditions in Yunnan are drawing direct comparisons to those in parts of Australia.
But as more of these viruses are found, debate is growing over whether the act of studying them - particularly in labs - could pose its own risks.
'With what's happening at the moment by growing these viruses in a lab in human cell lines, it's only giving the virus a head start in an ability to infect people rather than just bats,' Mr Collignon said.
'We get information about it, which is obviously important, but there's usually no other benefit - except maybe the people carrying out the study getting extra grants.'
He said the value of identifying these viruses is often overstated, arguing that knowing about Covid-19 in bats before the pandemic made little difference to prevention.
'We knew about coronaviruses including those from bats, long before the pandemic happened, but really, how does that help? It didn't really,' he said.
'We likely only know about one per cent of the viruses out there. Knowing about them doesn't always mean we can stop them.'
Mr Collignon also questioned public messaging which linked bat virus studies to current vaccine campaigns, calling it misplaced and potentially misleading.
'Like coming out now and trying to prevent this virus harming people by telling people to get the current Covid vaccine. It just won't help, as it's very unlikely we will get cross protection' he said.
'It's misleading information.'
Ecologists, meanwhile, say the real issue is habitat destruction - not laboratory research.
Deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and food shortages are forcing bats to forage closer to human environments, which has been linked to increased risk of zoonotic spillover in both Asia and Australia.
A 2023 study of Hendra outbreaks in horses found a strong link between bat food scarcity and virus transmission.
As natural food sources decline, bats have been increasingly observed feeding in orchards and farms, heightening the risk of contact.
Many ecologists argue conservation - not culling - is key to reducing the risk of disease emergence.
Maintaining native food sources and restoring natural habitats can help bats stay away from farmland, they say, reducing spillover risk at the source.
While there's no evidence the newly discovered viruses have yet infected humans, the discovery highlights how little is still known about the microbial world carried by wildlife - especially in biodiversity hotspots.
Mr Collignon stressed the importance of balancing research with caution.
'There's always going to be that natural concern between bats, the viruses they carry and the risk to the public,' he said.
'But giving [a virus] a head start as part of research program that grows these viruses in human cell lines is not good.'
Experts are calling for a more ecological approach to disease prevention - one that treats habitat protection as frontline public health.