Dangerous Viruses Related to Deadly Nipah Found in Chinese Bats

Scientists have discovered two viruses closely related to the lethal Nipah and Hendra viruses lurking in bat kidneys near villages in China’s Yunnan province.

The findings raise urgent concerns about potential spillover to humans through contaminated fruit, as these bats inhabit orchards where they could spread the pathogens through urine.

The comprehensive study, published in PLOS Pathogens, analyzed kidney tissues from 142 bats across ten species in Yunnan province over four years. Researchers identified 22 viral species total—20 of them previously unknown—along with bacterial species and a parasitic organism that had never been documented before.

Deadly Relatives Discovered

The most concerning discoveries were two henipaviruses found in fruit bats living near village orchards. These viruses belong to the same genus as Nipah and Hendra viruses, which cause severe brain inflammation and respiratory disease with mortality rates of 35-75% in humans.

One of the newly identified viruses, Yunnan bat henipavirus 1, showed particularly close genetic similarity to the human pathogens. It shared 70.33-71.33% amino acid identity with Nipah and Hendra viruses in key proteins, making it the closest known relative of pathogenic henipaviruses discovered to date.

“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 state.

Geographic Significance

The discovery marks the first detection of complete henipavirus genomes in Chinese bats, with particular significance given Yunnan’s location. The southwestern province borders Southeast Asian countries and sits geographically close to Malaysia, where Nipah virus first emerged in 1998-1999, killing over 100 people.

Previous studies found antibodies to Nipah-like viruses in bats across multiple Chinese provinces, including Yunnan, suggesting widespread exposure. However, this study provides the first genome-scale evidence for henipavirus diversity in China and confirms their zoonotic potential.

Transmission Risks

The researchers found these dangerous viruses specifically in fruit bats inhabiting orchards near human villages. Since henipaviruses can spread through bat urine, this proximity creates concerning scenarios for human exposure through contaminated fruit consumption.

Testing revealed the viruses present in multiple organs within infected bats, though kidneys showed significantly higher viral loads than heart, liver, lung, or gut tissues. Notably, brain tissue contained no detectable virus, suggesting kidneys serve as the primary replication site.

Key transmission concerns include:

• Fruit bats living in village orchards with direct access to human food sources
• Viral shedding through bat urine contaminating fruit crops
• High viral concentrations in bat kidneys increasing environmental contamination
• Geographic proximity to regions where Nipah previously emerged
• Evidence of viral replication across multiple bat organ systems

Broader Microbial Discovery

Beyond the henipavirus threat, researchers identified numerous other microorganisms in bat kidneys that had received little previous attention. The study revealed 20 novel viral species across 12 families, plus bacterial species including the newly discovered Flavobacterium yunnanensis.

Most intriguingly, they found a protozoan parasite tentatively named Klossiella yunnanensis, along with evidence that some detected viruses actually infect this parasite rather than the bats themselves. This discovery highlights complex ecological relationships within bat-associated microbial communities.

The research represents the first comprehensive characterization of bat kidney infectomes, revealing that these organs harbor distinct microbial communities compared to previously studied bat tissues like feces or rectum.

Surveillance Implications

The findings underscore critical gaps in current disease surveillance efforts, which have focused heavily on bat fecal samples while largely ignoring other organs. Since kidney-associated pathogens can be shed through urine, future monitoring should incorporate both kidney and urine sampling to assess transmission risks comprehensively.

The study also demonstrates that pooling samples, while practical for broad surveys, may obscure detection of low-abundance microbes and prevent accurate assessment of co-infections within individual animals. More detailed individual-level sampling could reveal additional threats currently hidden in pooled data.

Given the proximity of these virus-carrying bats to human settlements and food sources, enhanced surveillance becomes critical for preventing potential spillover events that could trigger future pandemics similar to past henipavirus outbreaks in Malaysia and Australia.