Bats are carriers of some of the most dangerous zoonotic diseases, including Ebola and COVID-19, which can infect both humans and animals. A research team from Texas A&M, in a recently-published article in the journal Cell Genomics, has discovered that certain species of bats are naturally immune to the viruses they carry due to the exchange of immune genes during seasonal mating swarms.
Given that bats are often immune to the diseases they carry, Foley and Dr. Bill Murphy, a professor in the VMBS’ Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, believe that studying bats’ disease immunity could be the key to preventing the next global pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has made the prediction and prevention of outbreaks a top priority for researchers and the public,” Foley said. “Several bat species are tolerant of viruses that are harmful to human health, serving as reservoirs for disease—they carry the viruses, but do not develop symptoms.”
Uncovering the secret of swarming behavior
To understand how bats have evolved tolerance to these deadly viruses, Foley, Murphy, and their international research partners mapped the evolutionary tree of Myotis bats, a crucial step in identifying the genes involved.
2024-02-20 18:00:04
Source from phys.org