Weekly magazine “Arguments and Facts” No. 8. Protection of the Fatherland – in the first place 23/02/2022
A new type of coronavirus has been discovered in bats from Laos. Why have these mice become the main source of infection? Are ours as dangerous as the Asian ones?
Three new coronaviruses were found while studying a population of bats living in caves in northern Laos. This was reported by the journal Nature. Scientists suggest that these viruses are relatives of SARS-CoV-2, capable of penetrating human cells.
Bats are the second largest group after rodents and, consequently, in terms of the number of parasites feeding on them. They regularly infected us with something,” explains Maria Orlova, PhD, the only scientist in Russia studying parasites living on bats. The coronavirus family was originally associated with bats, all other hosts are secondary. But these are not the bats that live with us (they do not pose any danger to us yet), but bats, giant animals whose wingspan reaches a meter. Being fruit-eaters, they also eat dates. Theirfeces, urine and saliva remain on fruits that fall on the table to a person, in pet food. This is how Hendra viruses were transmitted (with a mortality rate of up to 60% in humans) and Nipah (mortality rate of up to 75%). Theoretically, we can expect anything from bats.
