Fruit bats may carry ebola virus
FRUIT bats may be acting as reservoirs of the ebola virus responsible for several deadly outbreaks in central Africa, research suggests.
FRUIT bats may be acting as reservoirs of the ebola virus responsible for several deadly outbreaks in central Africa, research suggests.
Three bat species captured during outbreaks between 2001 and 2003 in Gabon and the Republic of Congo show evidence of symptomless infection.
Writing in Nature, researchers in Gabon say this means the animals may play a key role in spreading the virus.
They say local residents should be encouraged to refrain from eating bats.
The first human outbreak of ebola was recorded in 1976, but scientists still have to pin down which species harbour the virus.
If bats are among the culprits, they are more likely to pass the virus on to great apes such as gorillas and chimpanzees, which have been badly affected.
However, it is also possible that bats could infect humans directly.
Researchers from the Centre International de Recherches Medicales de Franceville trapped and tested more than 1,000 small animals in ebola-affected areas.
They found fruit bats of three species had either genetic sequences from the virus or evidence of an immune response to it.
Traces of the virus were found in the animals’ liver and spleen — two organs specifically targeted by ebola.
Each of the three species has a broad geographical range that includes regions of Africa where human ebola outbreaks occur.
Previous research has suggested that bats may also harbour the deadly marburg and sars viruses.
Three bat species captured during outbreaks between 2001 and 2003 in Gabon and the Republic of Congo show evidence of symptomless infection.
Writing in Nature, researchers in Gabon say this means the animals may play a key role in spreading the virus.
They say local residents should be encouraged to refrain from eating bats.
The first human outbreak of ebola was recorded in 1976, but scientists still have to pin down which species harbour the virus.
If bats are among the culprits, they are more likely to pass the virus on to great apes such as gorillas and chimpanzees, which have been badly affected.
However, it is also possible that bats could infect humans directly.
Researchers from the Centre International de Recherches Medicales de Franceville trapped and tested more than 1,000 small animals in ebola-affected areas.
They found fruit bats of three species had either genetic sequences from the virus or evidence of an immune response to it.
Traces of the virus were found in the animals’ liver and spleen — two organs specifically targeted by ebola.
Each of the three species has a broad geographical range that includes regions of Africa where human ebola outbreaks occur.
Previous research has suggested that bats may also harbour the deadly marburg and sars viruses.