Health & Medicine
Ebola Virus May Spread from Bats to Humans
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Dec 30, 2014 06:30 AM EST
What caused the Ebola outbreak in West Africa? It may be due to bats. Scientists have found that the possible outbreak of the Ebola virus diseases may have originated from contact between humans and virus-infected bats.
The Ebola virus epidemics are due to the transmissions to human populations either through contact with larger wildlife or by direct contact through bats, according to researchers. They monitored the large mammal populations close to the index village Meliandou in south-eastern Guinea and found no evidence for a concurrent outbreak. However, it's possible that direct contact with bats could be the answer.
Fruit bats are commonly suspected as spreading the Ebola virus. In fact, locals near Meliandou state that exposure to fruit bats through hunting and consumption of meat is common. Yet a food-borne transmission would have affected adults the same time as children, which means that the source of infection is likely no food-borne since that didn't happen.
So what caused the Ebola virus? Another opportunity for infection could be a large colony of free-tailed insectivorous bats that were found housed in a hollow tree near the house where the initial outbreak occurred. Children play in and around the tree, which could have led to exposure.
The findings reveal a possible means of transmission. That said, more research will need to be conducted before any firm conclusions are drawn about the virus. For now, though, it's a good start.
The findings are published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
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First Posted: Dec 30, 2014 06:30 AM EST
What caused the Ebola outbreak in West Africa? It may be due to bats. Scientists have found that the possible outbreak of the Ebola virus diseases may have originated from contact between humans and virus-infected bats.
The Ebola virus epidemics are due to the transmissions to human populations either through contact with larger wildlife or by direct contact through bats, according to researchers. They monitored the large mammal populations close to the index village Meliandou in south-eastern Guinea and found no evidence for a concurrent outbreak. However, it's possible that direct contact with bats could be the answer.
Fruit bats are commonly suspected as spreading the Ebola virus. In fact, locals near Meliandou state that exposure to fruit bats through hunting and consumption of meat is common. Yet a food-borne transmission would have affected adults the same time as children, which means that the source of infection is likely no food-borne since that didn't happen.
So what caused the Ebola virus? Another opportunity for infection could be a large colony of free-tailed insectivorous bats that were found housed in a hollow tree near the house where the initial outbreak occurred. Children play in and around the tree, which could have led to exposure.
The findings reveal a possible means of transmission. That said, more research will need to be conducted before any firm conclusions are drawn about the virus. For now, though, it's a good start.
The findings are published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone