🦇 Juvenile Bats Are Key Carriers of Viruses, Scientists Find
🦇 Juvenile Bats Are Key Carriers of Viruses, Scientists Find
Bats are surprisingly long-lived for their size. While many small mammals live only a few years, some bat species can live 20 to 40 years, and a few even longer. Because of this, their developmental stages like "juvenile" last longer than in rodents, which increases their impact on virus transmission.
A recent study from the University of Sydney revealed that juvenile bats play a major role in the emergence of new viruses, especially coronaviruses . Researchers collected more than 2,500 bat fecal samples over three years and discovered that young bats often carry multiple viruses at once, creating the perfect conditions for viruses to mutate and evolve.
Minor Clarification: ✍️
The viruses studied in this research were nobecoviruses, a type of coronavirus that currently poses no known risk to humans. While the idea that juvenile bats could act as “incubators” for future human-infecting viruses is still speculative, it is scientifically plausible based on how viruses evolve.
Why Young Bats Matter 👀
- Weaker immunity: After they stop nursing, juvenile bats lose the antibodies passed on by their mothers. Their immune systems are still developing, making them more prone to infections.
- Higher viral loads: Young bats shed more virus than adults and often carry several strains at the same time. This increases the chance that different viruses will combine and form new ones.
- Seasonal patterns: Viral shedding in young bats rises during specific times of the year. Scientists can use these patterns to identify higher-risk periods for disease spread to humans or animals.
These findings could help scientists create better early warning systems by focusing surveillance during the riskiest periods.
Why Bats Are Frequent Virus Carriers 🦇
- Bats are linked to many dangerous viruses including Ebola, Nipah, SARS, and other coronaviruses. Here’s why they are so effective at spreading disease:
- High viral diversity: Bats carry more zoonotic viruses than most other mammals, even after adjusting for how often they are studied.
- Large colonies: Many bats live in tightly packed groups, making it easy for viruses to spread among individuals.
- Unique immune systems: Bats can carry viruses without getting seriously sick. Their immune systems are good at controlling inflammation, which helps viruses stay in their bodies longer.
- Long lives and wide travel ranges: Bats live much longer than other small animals and can fly across long distances. This allows viruses to travel with them to new regions.
- High species diversity: There are more than 1,400 bat species worldwide. This gives viruses many chances to evolve and potentially jump to other animals, including humans.
Although bats carry many viruses, most do not infect people. The real danger comes when humans disrupt natural habitats, increase contact with wildlife, or stress animals through farming, urbanization, and climate change. To reduce the risk of virus spillover from wildlife, it is important not to touch wild animals.
If you come to contact with wild animals, always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. If you are bitten, scratched, or come into contact with saliva, urine, or feces, clean the area immediately and seek medical advice.
Sources:
https://www.sydney.edu.au/.../co-infections-in-young-bats...
https://www.sciencedaily.com/.../2025/07/250722035556.htm...
https://www.sciencedaily.com/.../2025/07/250722035556.htm...
https://www.science.org/.../bats-really-do-harbor-more...
https://knowablemagazine.org/.../why-do-bats-have-so-many...
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