Bats can tolerate bugs such as coronavirus without becoming ill or showing symptoms, Scottish researchers have found. A team at the University of St Andrews has been studying the immune systems of the flying mammals in a bid to understand how they spread disease. The scientists found that bats – which are a suspect species as the origin of Covid – have special genetic adaptations in their immune systems which helps them tolerate viruses better.
The study, published in the journal Nature, shows that bats have more genetic adaptations in immune genes than other mammals. The results could help to develop new medical approaches to combat viral diseases. The research is part of the “Bat1K” project - an international research consortium made up of researchers from over 60 countries that has created new high-quality genomes of bats to analyse these adaptations.
The results could help to develop new medical approaches to combat viral diseases (Image: PA) Bats have unique characteristics. As the only mammals that can actively fly, they play an important role in the ecosystem: they pollinate plants, spread seeds and contribute to the balance of the insect population through their feeding habits. Their exceptional orientation using ultrasonic echolocation shows how perfectly they are adapted to their nocturnal lifestyle.
Bats are of great interest to medical researchers, as their immune systems and unique viral tolerances can provide valuable insights for the development of new .
