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Bat-to-Man

Insight into why bat viruses are more virulent in other species

23 April 2020

Bat-to-Man

From Ebola to SARS coronavirus, bats famously carry viruses that are devastating to humans, but hardly affect the bats themselves. Their protection stems from extraordinary features of their immune system, with some species (like the black flying fox, pictured), benefiting from a constantly activated defence mechanism, the interferon signalling pathway, without experiencing the adverse consequences of inflammation. Bat defences also shape the characteristics of the viruses they carry: recent experiments suggest that viruses infecting bat cells spread very rapidly between cells, and such high transmission rates could cause problems for less resistant hosts. Though often cited as especially important sources of zoonoses [diseases transmitted from animals to humans], other studies suggest that bats are not inherently more likely to harbour zoonotic viruses – the many diseases associated with them might simply reflect the sheer number of bat species. Yet their unique immunity could have implications for the behaviour of any bat viruses that do jump into humans.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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