Scientists discover new potentially dangerous virus in bats – media

Tengrinews.kz – Scientists have discovered a new pathogen carried by bats in Australia's flying foxes, according to a report by The Telegraph.
Australian expert Jennifer Barr stated that the virus, named Salt Gully, was found in bat urine samples dating back to 2011.

“We’ve detected Salt Gully virus in bat samples dating back to 2011, which shows it’s been circulating in nature for over a decade without any evidence of it causing illness in animals or humans,” said Barr.

The pathogen is genetically related to two other viruses: Nipah and Hendra, both classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as priority pathogens.
However, scientists emphasized that there is currently no sign that the new virus can be transmitted to humans.

“Salt Gully is another example of bats as a reservoir of many, many more unknown viruses,” said Professor Linfa Wang.

She noted that all current data suggests the new virus poses a low risk to human populations. According to the scientists, further research on the pathogen is needed.

“As a result, we can’t predict whether it will result in future disease outbreaks in humans or animals,” said Jennifer Barr.

Barr added that researchers now have the opportunity to develop diagnostic tests that could help detect the virus in its early stages and prevent its spread.