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Many scientists believe that bats were the primary hosts of several viruses that pose or have endangered humans. These are the SARS, MERS coronaviruses and the recently discovered SARS-CoV-2, causing COVID-19. Scientists have also found that bats may be carriers of six other unidentified coronaviruses. It is not known whether they will be dangerous to people.
Wild nature close to people
Bats generally have a positive effect on the lives of people living in close proximity to their caves. They fight pests of crops and provide fertilizer that people scoop out of caves where bats live. However, there is also a dark side to being around bats.
Many experts believe these mammals were the original hosts of the coronaviruses that caused the SARS, MERS outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemicwe have been struggling with all over the world since December 2019.
The genetic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is 96 percent. similar to the genetic sequence of the virus found in bats. There are several hypotheses about how people became infected with this zoonotic virus. It is worth knowing the most important of them:
- Coronavirus from China. People could get infected from snakes
- Discovery of Chinese scientists. Pangolins may be the host of the coronavirus
- SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is a chimera of two viruses? Scientists have a new theory
- Coronavirus “escaped” from the laboratory? Scientists debunk this myth
A 2017 study estimated that bats could host more than 3200 coronaviruses, a great part of which has yet to be discovered. In turn, from a study conducted in Myanmar and published in the journal “PLOS ONE”, we can learn that Scientists have identified six new coronaviruses in bats.
Research leader Marc Valitutto, a former wildlife veterinarian and now an associate of the Global Health Program at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, DC, said that bringing humans and wildlife into close contact by cutting forests for agricultural crops increases the likelihood that viruses which these animals carry will pass into the human population.
“Viral pandemics remind us of how closely human health is related to the health of wildlife and the environment” He said and added that around the world humans are increasingly interacting with wildlife, so the more we know about animal viruses – what allows them to mutate and how they spread to other species – the more effectively we can reduce their pandemic potential.
The Valitutto-led project was part of an initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development to discover pathogens that can spread from animals to humans.
The study took place in Myanmar. First, scientists identified three places where humans come into close contact with wildlife populations due to changes in land use. Two of these sites had cave systems where humans exposed themselves to bat droppings due to the collection of bat droppings, religious practices, or ecotourism.
From May 2016 to August 2018, scientists caught bats, took saliva samples from them, and then released them into the wild. They also collected fresh excrement from the caves. In total, they collected over 750 samples of bat saliva and faeces. They analyzed the samples in the laboratory and looked for coronavirus RNA gene sequences.
By comparing them with known sequences, they were able to verify six new coronaviruses. Important! The authors of the study emphasize that the new coronaviruses are not closely related to the coronaviruses that cause SARS, MERS or COVID-19. Scientists also do not know whether the newly discovered viruses can cause disease in humans.
Many coronaviruses may not pose a threat to humans, but when we identify these diseases early in animals, we have a valuable opportunity to explore the potential threat.
Scientists have found that the vast majority of coronavirus particles are found in bat faeces, which could suggest that this is an important route of potential bat-to-human transmission of the virus. Bat droppings are used as natural fertilizer.
We recommend: Why are zoonoses so dangerous to humans?
The authors of the study point out that land use change is likely to continue to bring human and bat habitats closer together, increasing the potential for the spread of zoonoses. Growing evidence supports the role of bats in transmitting human health-threatening coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, and points to the zoonotic (zoonotic) potential of unknown bat-borne coronaviruses. This fact makes us be vigilant.
Have a question about the coronavirus? Send them to the following address: [email protected]. You will find a daily updated list of answers HERE: Coronavirus – frequently asked questions and answers.
The most important information about the coronavirus:
- The World Health Organization warned of a pandemic two years ago. What did we do to prepare?
- Coronavirus in Poland and in the world. Current data
- Viruses the world is struggling with right now
- Expert: The peak of infections is yet to come