Coronavirus was first detected in the Wuhan, China
The novel coronavirus which caused the COVID-19 infection was the first of its kind zoonotic virus when it was detected. The virus is said to have been transmitted to human beings from bats. It was first detected in the Wuhan region of China in late 2019. Ever since, COVID has caused millions of deaths, has infected a huge population and has been mutated several times generating five variants of concern which have swept the world through three different waves of infection.
What is a zoonotic virus?
Zoonotic viruses are those which are transmitted between human beings and animals. These viruses cause zoonosis which is an infectious disease that is transmitted from animals to humans or vice versa. Other pathogens like bacteria can also cause zoonosis.
Close to 75% of infectious diseases found in human beings are zoonotic in nature. These are not associated with domestic animals but mainly with wild animals.
There are several carriers of zoonotic viruses. Animals which are infected with the concerned virus or bacteria can transmit the pathogen to human beings through bites. Another popular assumption which was prevalent during the beginning of COVID pandemic was that coronavirus was transmitted to humans through improper food habits. Researchers also corroborate the theory and say that accidental ingestion of meat of the contaminated animals can transmit the disease to humans.
What do researchers say about bats?
Bats act as a natural reservoir for many viruses, including coronaviruses. As per WHO, bat borne viruses have induced epidemics since 2002.
One of the main reasons why bats can harbor a number of viruses is because, researchers say, their immune system is tolerant to the invading viruses for several months. They can actively shed the virus for such a long duration.
Another explanation is that the novel coronavirus which was found in December 2019 in Wuhan is a recombinant of two unknown coronavirus in a bat which might have evolved in snake, pangolin, or civets. The reason for the emergence of the infection from China is that these animals are considered a delicacy in this place and they are also a source of traditional medicine.
As per a research study bats harbor the most virulent zoonotic viruses even when compared to birds whereas reservoir host groups more closely related to humans—in particular, primates—harbor less virulent but more highly transmissible viruses.
In bats, the only mammals that are able to fly, flight adaption is said to be a reason why they are tolerant to viral infection. "In bats, flight adaptations have been linked to viral tolerance, which previous work suggests may select for high growth rate viruses that could manifest as virulent upon emergence in less tolerant hosts such as humans," the study says.
Read: Cold-like symptoms that could be a sign of Omicron in the body
Bats host a number of other virulent zoonotic viruses too
Bats are reservoirs of a number of infectious agents like bacteria, virus, fungi and other parasites. Studies have suggested that bats are more likely to be infected with more zoonotic viruses per host species than were rodents, thus adding weight to the suggestion that bats might in some way be unique as sources of emerging zoonoses.
The primary zoonotic diseases associated with bats are rabies, histoplasmosis, salmonellosis, yersiniosis and external parasites.
Bats also carry nipah virus, hendra virus, ebola virus and SARS coronavirus.
Parasites like bugs, ticks, fleas also transmit infectious pathogens from the bats to human beings. Bites from bugs which have come in close contact with an infected bat can transfer the zoonotic virus to the humans.
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