- Helen Briggs
- BBC environmental correspondent
—
Image source, Olivier farcy
—
Large mouse ear bats eat insects while flying
–
Bat genome codes contain genetic clues that show bats have an “extraordinary immune system” that protects them from deadly viruses.
–
Scientists have obtained genetic blueprints from six species of bats in the world.
–
Their genetic code of life contains genetic clues to bat’s “extraordinary immunity,” which protects them from deadly viruses.
–
Researchers hope to use this information to uncover the secrets of how bats can have the corona virus, but don’t get sick.
–
According to them, this might provide a solution to help protect human health in the pandemic this time and in the future.
–
Professor Emma Teeling from University College Dublin said the “special” genome sequences they found suggest that bats might have a “unique immune system.”
–
Understanding how bats can tolerate viruses without becoming ill can help develop the care of patients affected by several viruses such as Covid-19.
–
“If we can mimic the bat’s immune response to the virus, which allows them to tolerate the virus, then we can get drugs from nature,” he told BBC News.
–
“The immune system has evolved, we don’t need to reinvent. Now we have the tools to understand the steps we need to take; we need to develop drugs to get it.”
–
Prof. Teeling is one of the founders of the Bat1K project, which aims to decode the genomes of 1,421 species of bats that live in the world.
–
“These genomes are the tools we need to identify genetic solutions that have evolved in bats that we can ultimately use to reduce aging and spread of disease,” he said.
–
Covid-19 is thought to originate from bats, which are spread to humans through other animals that have not yet been identified. A number of other diseases, including SARS, MERS, and Ebola, are thought to spread to humans in the same way.
–
Environmental and environmental protection experts have warned that bats should not be judged; if they are not disturbed in their natural habitat, they do not threaten human health.
–
Bats also have an important role in maintaining the balance of nature. Many species of bats are pollinators, or spreaders of fruit seeds, and other species are insectivores, which eat millions of tons of insects overnight.
–
What are the decoded bat species?
Six bat species: large horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus), a pale nosed bat spear (Phyllostomus discolor), large ear bat (Myotis myotis), batistrelle bat Kuhl (Pipistrellus kuhlii), and free-tailed velvet bats (Molossus molossus).
–
Image source, Daniel Whitby
—
Large horseshoe bats are the biggest horseshoe bats in Europe
–
What are the results of the study?
An international team of researchers is using the most up-to-date technology to sequence the genomes of these bat species and identify which genes are present.
–
By comparing the blueprints of bats against 42 other species of mammals, they were able to find out where the bats are in the tree of life.
–
Bats seem to be most closely related to groups consisting of carnivores (some species including dogs, cats and seals), pangolins, whales, and hoofed mammals.
–
A number of genetic differences indicate regions of the genome that have evolved differently in the body of a bat, which might give rise to these unique animal skills.
–
This genetic detective work reveals genes that might contribute to the ability of bats to conduct echo-locations, where bats can hunt and find their way in total darkness.
–
How is this information used in a pandemic?
The results of the study have implications for human health and disease because they uncover a number of genetic changes that provide bats protection against viruses.
–
According to researchers, knowledge about the bat genome can help explain why flying mammals can tolerate corona virus infections, which might help humans in the future to fight a pandemic.
–
“These changes may contribute to bat’s extraordinary immunity and show that they can tolerate corona viruses,” said Dr. Michael Hiller of the Max Planck Molecular and Genetic Cell Biology Institute in Dresden, Germany.
–
In many viral infections, it is not the virus itself that causes death, but the acute inflammatory response caused by the human immune system.
–
Bats can control this. So even though they are infected, they show no visible signs of disease.
–
This research has been published by scientific journals Nature.
—
