Article by Rashmi Wickramasinghe
Can Bats carry deadly Viruses?
According to the scientific researches 11 viruses including NIPAH , HENDRA , EBOLA, MARBURG the world’s deadliest viruses have been spread by bats.
If so How can the bats survive , while acting as a reservoir of viruses ?
- Production of reactive oxygen in their bodies
Bat is the only mammal who can fly. For a mammal to fly, they require a large amount of energy. So As a result of this a lot of energy is needed by bats. So the workload on mitochondria in bats are comparatively higher than the other mammals. Mitochondria is the energy producing cellular organelle in mammals.
As a result of this rapid energy producing mechanism in bats, reactive oxygen which can damage the body cells will also get produced as a byproduct.
Generally in mammals these reactive oxygen are used by the immune system to rouse immune cells to act and kill bacterial invaders. The antioxidants which are consumed by food will also contribute in neutralizing the reactive oxygens.
However if a large amount of reactive oxygen are produced ,it can damage the DNA in cells. This situation is known as Oxidative stress.
So as mitochondria in bats produce a large amount of energy within a short period of time, large no of reactive oxygen is formed causing an oxidative stress. As a matter of fact oxidative stress is a common situation in their bodies. As a result of this situation DNA is being damaged , causing mutations
If so the life span of a bat should be minimum. But Why does bats don’t get sick or don’t get cancers?
💡 When a large amount of reactive oxygen is formed in the bats body , its DNA is being damaged. Recently genetic studies have found that these mutations are boosting the ability of bats to detect and repair damaged DNA. They also have turbocharged the mechanisms that prevent replication of damaged DNA. So this mechanism is the secret behind the question why bats don’t get cancers often.
2. Inflammation mechanism
When DNA is damaged, immune system will get activated. So as a result white blood cells are being produced, this mechanism is know as inflammation. However, if this happens quite often it can also damage the body cells and can end life.
But nature has gifted them with a solution for this issue as well. The immunity mechanism is very low inside a bats body, so the effect of this problem is minute
- Interferon System
Generally the interferon system in mammals is being activated only when a virus enter the body , but it has being proven that it is always active inside a bat , so if a virus enters a bat’s body, this can help to manage the amount of virus in body.
This whole mechanism will help the bat to survive without getting ill , and will be able to fly and live while the virus is still in the body. So even if each bat hosts a virus for a short time, it can linger in its population. when they interact with other animals the virus can be transmitted to them too.
This unique immune system is the secret behind all these questions.
🦇 Even though bats spread deadly viruses, it is us who has invaded the animal habitats, Unless we humans enter their habitats we will be safe. Bats are also a magical species who involve in pollination, reforestations and controlling pests. Their excretory products are also pretty excellent fertilizers.
So this unique immune system is being still reached by scientists