The coronavirus: How do bats live with all these viruses?

Bats are likely to be the possible source of the coronavirus epidemic, which appeared in China, as these organisms have been shown to have an immune system that allows them to coexist with many pathogenic viruses.

“We do not yet know the source of this virus, but there is strong evidence that bats are the main cause of its emergence,” said head of the American Eco-Health Alliance, Dr. Peter Dazac. . Corona viruses cause acute viral diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS). If this proof is confirmed, this strain will be one of the many other strains carried by bats.

Writer James Gorman said in a report published by the American newspaper “New York Times” that bats are responsible for the emergence of a new strain of the Corona virus in Wuhan, China.

Coexistence with viruses

The author has stated that bats are a very diverse group and make up about a quarter of all types of mammals, and that a bat can carry many different viruses in its body without being affected. Bats are the natural reservoir of the “Marburg” virus, the “Nipah” virus and the “Hendra” virus which have caused the spread of human diseases in Africa, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Australia. It is also believed to be the natural host of the Ebola virus and a carrier of the rabies virus, but in this case, bats are affected by the disease. In fact, the fact that bats carry such viruses is one of its many distinguishing features:

Bats and Corona

It should be noted that the way to manage and contain the new epidemic of Corona virus is currently critical, but tracking the source of the virus and taking steps to combat its epidemic may depend in part on the knowledge and control of bats. In this regard, Dr. Dazak said: “The spread of the disease can be contained and controlled, but if we do not know its long-term source, this virus can continue to spread.” Scientists in China had already started to study bats carefully, and they also knew full well that the spread of this disease was possible. Last spring, in an article on bats and their relationship to the coronavirus or the corona virus, a group of Chinese researchers wrote that “in general,

Bats from all continents live close to humans and farms – with the exception of Antarctica – and their ability to fly makes them very diffuse, which helps spread viruses, so their droppings are able to spread the disease. In addition, in many parts of the world, people eat and sell bats in live animal markets, which have been the main source of SARS, and are likely the cause of the spread of the coronavirus, which has emerged in Wuhan. Bats often live in huge colonies with caves, so congestion conditions are ideal for transmitting viruses to each other. Doctors from the Environmental Health Alliance have confirmed scientists’ expectations that bats harbor a much higher proportion of animal diseases than all other mammals. Their study concluded that these diseases are those that spread from animals to humans and that the viruses that harbor them cannot be saved. Although bats should be studied and the viruses they harbor should be monitored for public health reasons, this does not mean that bats are responsible for the epidemic. Dr. Dazac stressed the need to stop the sale of wild animals on the markets to limit future epidemics of the disease, in addition to the need to monitor and study wildlife, including bats mouse.

Source: New York Times

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