Gwalchafed
Nombre de messages : 19
Date d'inscription : 02/08/2009
 | Sujet: Coronavirus chez les Vampires Brésiliens....  Mar 4 Aoû - 16:22 | |
| - Citation :
- SARS virus discovered in bats in Brazil
---------------------------------------
Hematophagous bats, also known as "vampire bats" are carriers of a
virus that causes diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome
(SARS), Brazilian researchers reported. The Research Support
Foundation of the State of Sao Paulo (FAPESP), which funded the
project, announced today [3 Aug 2009] that the work of the University
of Sao Paulo (USP) identified the presence of such viruses in vampire
bats (_Desmodus rotundus_). This type of bat, which feeds on blood of
animals and can bite humans, in addition to transmitting diseases
such as rabies, can also be a vector for transmitting the diseases
caused by coronaviruses. [Coronaviruses] can cause intestinal
problems, respiratory, and even the cerebral problems in birds and
mammals, including humans.
This virus became [notorious] in 2003, when it was discovered that it
was the virus responsible for SARS {Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome), a disease discovered in some Asian countries and that
intrigued scientists for a long time. According to a Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnology of the USP [University of Sao
Paulo] study on molecular evolution, the vampire bats were the hosts
in which the coronavirus emerged for the 1st time. "The studies are
still in the initial phase, but we can expect that in the future that
research will bring startling discoveries on coronaviruses in vampire
bats," noted the specialist Paulo Eduardo Brandao, USP researcher and
one of those responsible for the project.
The doctor admitted that there are still no concrete results on the
type of disease that the coronavirus present in the body of the bats
is able to produce in other mammals. Until now, genetic studies
indicate that the virus is very similar to the [coronavirus] carried
by bovines and to the virus that causes colds in humans. "We still do
not have data on diseases that [the coronavirus] could cause in
animals or humans, but it is quite likely that it is not pathogenic
for bats, which would just be healthy hosts for these viruses," said
the epidemiologist.
The study was conducted in collaboration with the Pasteur Institute
of Sao Paulo, which assisted in the capture and identification of
some specimens of hematophagous [vampire] bats and insectivorous
bats. The viruses were found in samples from organs such as lung,
liver, and intestines of the bats, said Brandao, a member of the
international network of researchers, "Coronavirus Research Group."
"The genetic material of these samples was chemically purified and we
used a special technique to amplify a fragment of the genome of the
coronavirus," he added. The USP researchers are trying to isolate the
virus in cell cultures in the laboratory in order to decipher its
genetic sequence and establish which diseases it can cause.
--
Source : mailing-list de ProMed | |
|
