The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #93652   Message #1807053
Posted By: Mr Fox
11-Aug-06 - 05:46 AM
Thread Name: BS: Bat dung question???...
Subject: RE: BS: Bat dung question???...
Googling 'ebola virus' and 'vectors', I found this:-

Monkeys are known to be both victims (die of) of and short-term vectors (carry the disease for a while) for Ebola. Bats have also been recently discovered as a limited potential vector. Other vectors are unknown as yet, and it is highly unlikely that Monkeys are the long-term vectors for Ebola because they die from it as quickly as humans. Recently (January 2006) Scientists from the IRD and the CIRMF detected specific Ebola virus antibodies in the serum of three species of tropical fruit bats and revealed the presence of viral genome fragments in the liver and spleen of these bats. This discovery should not be confused with finding the reservoir or vector of Ebola - this simply indicates that it is possible that Ebola infected bats could survive and transmit the virus to primates. This does not indicate that bats are the natural reservoir, just that it is a possibility.