Abstract
Bats are reported as reservoir host for several viruses, which cause significant illness in human and animals. Some of the bat transmitted zoonotic viral diseases such as Ebola, Hendra, Nipah and rabies may cause severe human casualties. They also harbor several other viruses such as MERS and SARS corona viruses, which may cause disease in human through direct spillover to human or through an intermediate host or vectors. Being reservoir hosts bats do not get affected by these viruses. This probably may happen due to the specificity of bat immune system, which reacts differently with viral pathogens in comparison to their other mammalian counterparts. Although bats are important reservoir hosts for several zoonotic viruses, very little information is available regarding host/virus relationships as only few experimental studies have been done on bat colonies, lack of expertise for study of bat immunology and antiviral responses and difficulty in conducting field work. However, with the advancement in epidemiology and molecular biology, these problems can be addressed, which will provide the insight into interactions of bats and zoonotic viruses. It may also clarify regarding virus persistence in nature and various associated risk factors which might facilitate viral transmission to animals and humans. Koushlesh Ranjan 1,* , Minakshi Prasad 2 and Gaya Prasad 3
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
More From: Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.