A DEADLY Ebola-related virus has been discovered in Chinese bats, sparking fears it could spread to humans “with devastating consequences,” warns an expert.

Mengla virus, from the Rousettus bat in Yunnan Province, China, is “evolutionarily closely related to Ebola virus and Marburg virus,” said Professor Linfa Wang, whose nickname is “Batman”.

7 Ebola outbreaks have been catastrophic in the past, leaving communities in ruins Credit: AFP or licensors

The Shanghai-born Australian is a trained biochemist, who is director of emerging infectious diseases at the Duke-NUS Medical School, in Singapore.

His recent work, published in the journal Nature Microbiology, talks about discovering a new type of filovirus, which belong to a virus family (Filoviridae) and can cause severe haemorrhagic fever diseases in humans, resulting in a high number of deaths.

These include the likes of Ebola and Marburg viruses, the latter of which is a severe and highly fatal disease from the same family as the one that causes Ebola.

Prof Wang and fellow Duke-NUS researchers, in collaboration with scientists in China, have identified a new animal virus in Rousettus bats, which feed on fruit and roost in caves or disused tunnels.

7 The Ebola virus claimed thousands of lives in December 2013 when it swept through Guinea, Sierra, Leone and Liberia Credit: AP:Associated Press

Bat-borne diseases around the world pose a threat to human and animal health.

They named it Mengla (MLAV) virus because it was discovered in Mengla County, Yunnan Province in China.

The researchers tested MLAV and found that, like other filoviruses, it poses a potential risk of interspecies transmission.

Filoviruses, especially Ebola virus and Marburg virus, are notoriously pathogenic, producing diseases.

They can cause severe and often fatal fever diseases in humans by affecting many organs and damaging blood vessels – and can result in bleeding from orifices, including the rectum.

Prof Wang said that studying the geographic distribution of such bat-borne viruses was “very important” to assess the risk to humans.

7 Researchers in China and Singapore have discovered a new type of virus from Rousettus bats in China Credit: Rajesh Puttaswamaiah, Bat Conservation India Trust

7 Prof Linfa Wang, whose nickname is 'Batman', has been researching the animal for more than two decades

The findings could also help prevent an outbreak “as this type of infectious disease can affect the general public without warning with devastating consequences,” he added.

According to the research team's findings in Nature Microbiology: “The results confirmed that the Mengla virus is evolutionarily closely related to Ebola virus and Marburg virus and shares several important functional similarities with them.”

For example, it has the same molecular receptor, a protein called NPC1 – which basically works like locks and keys – as Ebola and Marburg viruses to gain entry into cells and cause infection.

At present, the virus has only been identified in Rousettus bats in China.

Further tests will be conducted to assess the risk of the virus spreading to other species, including humans.

For more than 20 years Prof Wang has been studying bat-borne viruses, exploring why the species carry so many diseases – particularly lethal ones – yet enjoy lengthy lives and rarely become sick.

7 The Ebola virus disease is a viral infection that occurs in humans and primates Credit: AFP or licensors

7 Ebola and Marburg viruses are capable of causing severe and often fatal fever diseases in humans by affecting many organs and damaging blood vessels Credit: EPA

7 Bat-borne viruses around the world pose a threat to human and animal health Credit: Alamy

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Prof Patrick Casey, senior Vice-Dean of Research at Duke-NUS, hailed the “early identification of the filovirus from Rousettus bats by Prof Wang and researchers in China”.

He added: “With globalisation, it is important to identify and assess the risk of potential infectious disease outbreaks and, from it, develop effective controls strategies and treatments.”

Recent Ebola outbreaks have resulted in the laboratory confirmed deaths of more than 11,300 people, mainly in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.