Why Bats Excel as Viral Reservoirs Without Getting Sick
Published:27 Oct.2020 Source:Duke-NUS Medical School
Bats act as reservoirs of numerous zoonotic viruses, including SARS-CoV, MERS CoV, Ebola virus, and -- most likely -- SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen behind the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, the molecular mechanisms bats deploy to tolerate pathogenic viruses has remained unclear.
Now scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, have discovered novel molecular mechanisms that allow bats to tolerate zoonotic viruses without getting sick. Published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the study suggests that bats adopt unique strategies to prevent overactive immune responses, which protects them against diseases caused by zoonotic viruses.