EBOLA BATS: FROM SOURCE TO CURE Bats are believed to be the origin of the deadly Ebola virus; they can carry rabies and over 100 other diseases, but they do not suffer from the viruses themselves. Scientists believe the nocturnal creatures may be the key to curing Ebola. If we can understand how they do it then that could lead to better ways to treat infections that are highly lethal in people and other mammals, said Olivier Restif, a researcher at the University of Cambridge in Britain, as quoted by Reuters. Scientists believe the bats’ ability not to suffer from Ebola is closely connected with their ability to fly. This skill requires an extremely high metabolism which can be destructive for a living being. According to a new hypothesis, bats developed a special mechanism to prevent the destruction of their body from their super-active metabolism. Moreover, they keep their immune system permanently active, unlike humans, so they react to the virus before its concentration reaches a response threshold. If our immune system behaved the way a bats did...then maybe some of these viruses wouldnt be a problem anymore,” said Michelle baker of the Australian Animal Health Laboratory at Australias National Science Agency.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 22:13:49 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015