Post by Shadow on Oct 6, 2005 14:37:05 GMT -5
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By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent Thu Sep 29, 3:09 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many species of bats found across China are infected with viruses similar to the
SARS virus, an international team of researchers reported on Thursday.
Zhengli Shi of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and colleagues sampled more than 400 bats of various species across China and found up to 70 percent of some species showed evidence of infection with SARS-like viruses.
This would support the idea that bats are the reservoir -- the natural host -- of the virus. Animals that act as reservoirs carry and spread a virus without themselves becoming ill.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS first emerged in China in 2002 and in 2003 spread around the world via jet, killing more than 700 people and infecting about 8,000. Strict quarantines and other measures stopped its spread.
It is caused by a new virus called SARS coronavirus. Coronaviruses are common in people and animals and usually cause nothing more serious than a cold.
Animals such as palm civets were found to be infected but study showed they were not the true reservoir of the SARS virus.
Earlier this month a team of Hong Kong researchers reported that bats found in Hong Kong carried a virus very similar to the SARS virus.
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent Thu Sep 29, 3:09 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many species of bats found across China are infected with viruses similar to the
SARS virus, an international team of researchers reported on Thursday.
Zhengli Shi of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and colleagues sampled more than 400 bats of various species across China and found up to 70 percent of some species showed evidence of infection with SARS-like viruses.
This would support the idea that bats are the reservoir -- the natural host -- of the virus. Animals that act as reservoirs carry and spread a virus without themselves becoming ill.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS first emerged in China in 2002 and in 2003 spread around the world via jet, killing more than 700 people and infecting about 8,000. Strict quarantines and other measures stopped its spread.
It is caused by a new virus called SARS coronavirus. Coronaviruses are common in people and animals and usually cause nothing more serious than a cold.
Animals such as palm civets were found to be infected but study showed they were not the true reservoir of the SARS virus.
Earlier this month a team of Hong Kong researchers reported that bats found in Hong Kong carried a virus very similar to the SARS virus.