Scientists find deadly virus in fruit bat
Marburg had been detected only in monkeys
ATLANTA -- Scientists have found the deadly Marburg virus in one type of African fruit bat, the first time it's been detected in an animal other than a monkey. The bats were collected in the West Africa countries of Gabon and the Republic of Congo, but the test results support a theory that bats caused two recent human Marburg cases in nearby Uganda, health officials said.
Scientists are not sure how Marburg is transmitted to humans, but for years they have suspected that bats might be helping to spread the disease.
"It's a big step in pointing us in the right direction," said Jonathan Towner, a microbiologist with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who is investigating the Uganda outbreak.
In the new paper, published in PLoS ONE, an online journal, Towner and other scientists say they tested more than 1,100 bats representing 10 species. They found Marburg in only one species, Rousettus aegyptiacus, a common type of fruit bat that lives in caves. Four bats tested positive for the virus, and 21 tested positive for at least low levels of antibodies to the virus, suggesting they had been infected by the virus, Towner said.
Scientist said they believe the virus normally "hangs out" in some kind of animal, said Dr. James Steinberg, a professor of infectious diseases at Emory University's School of Medicine. Finding that animal reservoir could help lead to a better understanding of how the virus works and better strategies to combat it, he said.
It's not yet clear whether bats are that reservoir; they could be getting infected just like people, Towner said.
Last month, a 29-year-old who worked in a lead mine in Western Uganda died of Marburg, a rare cousin of Ebola that can cause a rapid and gruesome death in which patients may bleed from the eyes, ears, and elsewhere. A second ill miner is also believed to be infected with Marburg.
Investigators have said miners' hands and feet are in constant contact with bat feces, Towner said. Test results on the Ugandan bats are expected to take a couple of months, he added.
Since Marburg was first identified in 1967, large outbreaks have been reported in Congo and Angola, among other countries. 