Bats serve as reservoirs for dangerous coronavirus pandemics due to unique immune system adaptations
the verdict
CONTESTED
contested - the weight sits with the supporting side
refutedsupported
the weight of evidence
3 sources for · 0 against
The sources confirm that bats act as reservoirs for coronaviruses, but they do not substantiate that unique immune system adaptations are the cause of dangerous coronavirus pandemics.
uman health systems as well as negatively affecting human economic and social systems. A prime example is the currently active severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV2, which presumably originated from bats, demonstrating that the risk of a new outbreak of bat coronavirus is always latent. Therefore, an in-depth investigation to better comprehend bat CoVs has become an important issue within the international community, a group that aims to attenuate the consequences of future outbreaks. In this review, we present a concise introduction to CoVs found in bats and discuss their distribution in Southeast Asia. We also discuss the unique adaptation features in bats that confer the ability to be a potential coronavirus reservoir. In addition, we review the bat coronavirus-linked diseases that have emerged in the last two decades. Finally, we propose key factors helpful in the prediction of a novel coronavirus outbreak and present the most recent methods used to forecast an evolving outbreak.
Keywords: Bats, coronaviruses, SARS-CoV2, immune response, dissemination IMPLICATIONS
This review contributes a concise introduction to coronaviruses isolated from bats and discusses their distribution in Southeast Asia. We also discuss the unique adaptation features in bats that confer the ability to act as a potential coronavirus reservoir. In addition, we review the bat coronavirus-linked diseases that have emerged in the last two decades. Finally, we propose key factors helpful in predicting a novel coronavirus outbreak and present the most recent methods used to forecast an evolving outbreak ( Fig. 1 ).
Fig. 1. Schematic summary illustrating the characterization of bat coronaviruses.
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CoV, coronavirus; SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome; MERS, Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome. INTRODUCTION
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are members of the Coronaviridae family in the Nidovirales order. They are characterized by spike glycoprotein trimers encrusted on the virus
"zoonotic" diseases include coronavirus in bats, and influenza in pigs and birds, before those viruses were transferred to humans. Viral infections can
A virus is a tiny infectious agent that reproduces inside the cells of living hosts. When infected, the host cell is forced to rapidly produce thousands of copies of the original virus. Unlike most living things, viruses do not have cells that divide; new viruses assemble in the infected host cell. But unlike simpler infectious agents like prions, they contain genes, which allow them to mutate and evolve. Over 4,800 species of viruses have been described in detail out of the millions in the environment. Their origin is unclear: some may have evolved from plasmids—pieces of DNA that can move between cells—while others may have evolved from bacteria.
Viruses are made of either two or three parts. All include genes. These genes contain the encoded biological information of the virus and are built from either DNA or RNA. All viruses are also covered with a protein coat to protect the genes. Some viruses may also have an envelope of fat-like substance that covers the protein coat, and makes them vulnerable to soap. A virus with this "viral envelope" uses it—along with specific receptors—to enter a new host cell. Viruses vary in shape from the simple helical and icosahedral to more complex structures. Viruses range in size from 20 to 300 nanometres; it would take 33,000 to 500,000 of them, laid end to end, to stretch to 1 centimetre (0.4 in).
Viruses spread in many ways. Although many are very specific about which host species or tissue they attack, each species of virus relies on a particular method to copy itself. Plant viruses are often spread from plant to plant by insects and other organisms, known as vectors. Some viruses of humans and other animals are spread by exposure to infected bodily fluids. Viruses such as influenza are spread through the air by droplets of moisture when people cough or sneeze. Viruses such as norovirus are transmitted by the faecal–oral route, which involves the contamination of hands, food and water. Rotavirus is often spread by direct contact with infected children. The human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, is transmitted by bodily fluids transferred during sex. Others, such as the dengue virus, are spread by blood-sucking…
ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 8578646. PMID 34753922. "Detection of a coronavirus similar to SARS-CoV-2 in Cambodian bats". News-Medical.net. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 12
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