Med. Weter. 72 (5), 284-290, 2016
full text
| Marcin Smreczak, Jan F. Żmudziński |
| Bats as a reservoir of viruses dangerous to humans and animals |
| Bats are the only mammals that have the ability to fly. In recent years, many emerging and re-emerging diseases threaten humans and animals, raising fear. Studies carried out confirm that many serious diseases are caused by viruses such as: EboV, Marburg, MERSCoV, SARS, Hendra and Nipah, the source of which are bats. Although the bats do not have very close contact with humans viruses are transmitted through intermediate hosts. Changes in the environment caused by human activities lead to increased contacts between humans and animals resulting in a higher risk of infection. |
| Key words: emerging infectious diseases, bat, virus, natural reservoirs, ecosystem |