The world's largest urban bat colony in Austin, TX.
Posted on 10/19/2014 7:07:16 AM PDT by dennisw
Ebola transmission and source Of all animals, bats and rats are generally considered to carry around numerous pathogens that can infect humans. Rats tend to live close to humans and are still associated with the bubonic plague that swept through Europe in the 14th century, killing almost 25 million people. But why do bats have such a bad reputation?
Well this prejudice against bats is actually not very surprising. Bats can carry a number of pathogens (rabies, Hendra, Marburg, Nipah and indeed also Ebola). These are all viruses that can cause serious disease in humans. Particularly the Ebola virus can be deadly, killing up to 90% of all infected humans. Who is to blame?
Contrary to rats, bats do not like to live near humans. But humans are, especially in the tropics, constantly expanding into bat habitat. This – of course – increases the risks of humans coming into contact with these animals. This is not the bats fault, but it does explain the rise of incidences of humans infected with pathogens via bats. Why bats?
Whether a bat lives in a cave or in a tree, it will always live there with other bats, lots of other bats. Sleeping close together to keep their bodies warm, and in the process creating the perfect conditions for pathogens to spread between animals.
On top of that, bats have a very sophisticated immune system to keep them healthy. Not only does this immune system protect them from dying from many pathogens, it also protects against cancer/DNA damage. Unlike birds, bats have thin but relatively heavy bones, hence the amount of energy required to fly is huge. And where energy is used, free radicals are produced. To prevent this reactive waste from damaging DNA, bats have evolved a very sophisticated and effective immune system. Apart from the immune system, there is another trick; when bats fly their body temperature rises to about 40C. Most viruses and bacteria are eliminated at these temperatures. In fact raising body temperature (fever) is an important part of the human body to overcome pathogens. But unfortunately there are bacteria and viruses that can cope, or learn to cope, with these high temperatures. These tolerant pathogens are then very difficult for the human body to combat. Are all bats bad?
As long as you don;t run around poking bats with sticks you are very unlikely to ever get bit by one in the first place. Bats are too afraid of humans to come close and too busy doing important work such as catching mosquitos and pollinating fruit trees. And then again, most bats do not carry zoonotic disease.
Worth watching is this MinuteEarth animated video about bats and disease:
In David Quammen's Ebola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus he recounts one of the first reorded Ebola epidemics. It began when some villagers found a dead, bloated, chimpanzee and, despite it's condition, decided to cook and eat it anyway. Anyone who handled the rotten meat died, as did most of the village before the epidemic ran it course, eventually claiming over fifty victims. What you cannot help thinking is how absolutely careless and stupid those people were.
LOL!
Fruit bats have something in common with humans.
Unlike most animals, you know, dogs, cats, cows, mice, yada yada yada fruit bats AND humans do not make their own vitamin C.
There are only a dozen or so species like this on the planet.
...gleefully lunching on bushmeat...
+++++
Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O’Donnell lunch plans?
Fruit bats in particular and only...so it seems on Vitamin C
Man did I set up a double-encondre (sp?).
You should have to go stand in the corner for bombing that mind picture on us right at lunch time. No tuna for me.
How many thousands of years have they been doing this? Recon that could be why, except for TV and cell phones, they live pretty much like they did 10,000 years ago?
This is the government culture the majority wanted here? Elections do have consequences, hope we survive this one.
The world's largest urban bat colony in Austin, TX.
Bush Meat is smuggled into America as well, has been for a long time. Google has plenty on this subject.
I was stationed at Ft. Clayton in the Canal Zone when I was in the army. All the barracks were 3 storied with tiled roofs where the bats would stay in during the day. In the evening they would come swarming out of the roof tiles by the thousands.........It was kinda cool watching them then in the morning they'd return and fly back up into them......
So long as the bats in Texas don’t pass it on to armadillos, were might be relatively safe.
I guess “live” is the operate word there. Those that don’t more often live.
Maybe the armadillos will give the bats leprosy, and they’ll all die.
Except now, even those that don’t partake of bushmeat get its result.
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