[stem-ebola] Antiviral immune responses of bats: a review.

[alex@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

"[There has been a historical lack of interest in bats from the 
infectious diseases community
and funding agencies because they were thought to be of little 
importance as vectors or  reservoirs. Much of our knowledge of bats and 
viruses is from studies of rabies virus and other lyssaviruses (Calisher 
et al., 2006).

However, in recent years, many novel viruses of human and veterinary 
importance have been discovered that are hosted, or suspected to be 
hosted, by bats. In the 1990s, novel paramyxoviruses, Hendra and Nipah 
viruses, caused outbreaks of fatal disease in Australia and Malaysia 
(Murray et al., 1995; Chua et al., 2000). Both viruses are hosted by 
species of pteropid bats. Severe acute respiratory syndrome, caused by a 
coronavirus, was identified during an outbreak in China and Hong Kong in 
the early 2000s.

Subsequent research has indicated its ancestor is a batborne virus (Lau 
et al., 2005; Li et al., 2005). Also in the 2000s, Marburg virus was 
demonstrated to be hosted by fruit bats, and there is compelling 
evidence that ebolaviruses are also hosted by fruit bats (Leroy et al., 
2005; Towner et al., 2009)."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23302292

doi#: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2012.01528.x