Bats as reservoir and vector of viruses pathogenic for humans and animals

ABSTRACT

The significance of bats as a source and carrier of viruses of emerging infectious diseases has been increasingly appreciated, and new data have been accumulated during recent year. Bat-borne viruses, including rabies virus, other lyssaviruses, coronaviruses, henipaviruses, filoviruses, are among the most important of the emerging pathogens. Bats are important reservoir of zoonotic viruses of different families, including SARS-CoV Nipah virus, Hendra virus and Ebola virus, and they have been identified as a source of pig-killing coronavirus SADS and PED in China. Bats, carrying these agents, appear to be capable of limiting excessive or inappropriate virus-induced inflammation, which often leads to severe diseases in other animal species and also in humans. Recently detected, highly divergent lyssaviruses and filoviruses in bats across the EU, may possess potential risk to human populations, because neither vaccines nor antiviral drugs against these viruses have been developed yet.