Bat viruses and diseases

Abstract

Bats, representing approximately 20% of mammal species, are the most abundant, diverse and geographically dispersed vertebrates on earth. Bats of various species have recently been identified as the reservoir hosts of many emerging viruses responsible for severe human and livestock disease outbreaks. These include Hendra and Nipah viruses, SARS coronavirus, Ebola viruses, Melaka virus and others. Australian scientists played a vital role in the discovery and/or characterisation of many of these emerging bat viruses. While these viruses result in significant morbidity and mortality in other mammals, they appear to cause no clinical consequence in bats under natural or experimental infection. Understanding this key difference in pathogenesis and the mechanism of virus spillover from bats to other mammals will be critical for our effort to prevent and control future disease outbreaks caused by bat-borne zoonotic viruses.