Study of bat natural immunity to Marburg virus may shed light on human disease

(US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases) Scientists examining the genome of Egyptian fruit bats, a natural reservoir for the deadly Marburg virus, have identified several immune-related genes that suggest bats deal with viral infections in a substantially different way than primates. Their research, published online today in the journal Cell, demonstrates that bats may be able to host viruses that are pathogenic in humans by tolerating -- rather than overcoming -- the infection.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news