On caves, bats, tourists, and island people who still engage in catching bats for consumption.
Just beware of bats (paniki, kabog)
Some Bat Facts from a
flyer issued by the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau-Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (Philippines):
“Trading bats is illegal and threatens their survival. Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001 prohibits the possession, collection, killing, or trading bats.
"Penalties for these crimes range from imprisonment of between ten (10) days and twelve (12) years and/or a fine of one thousand pesos (P. 1,000.00) to one million pesos (P 1,000,000,00), depending on the nature of the offense and whether the wildlife species is threatened.
“… Bats are not game nor
food animals. Their importance to humans lies in their role in controlling
pest, regenerating our forests, pollinating our fruits, and the bats themselves
attract tourists. These are important reasons to protect them...
"Bats may also carry
potentially lethal diseases such as rabies or Henipah viruses.
Therefore, handling and consumption
of bats is discouraged to minimize the risks of infection.”
But now there are studies linking Asian bats also to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The following article
appeared in the South China Morning Post online, and in the print edition as:
Asian bats likely ‘original host’ of virus
Novel coronavirus most
likely came from Asian bat: Hong Kong study
Chinese horseshoe bats are found in China, India, Nepal and Vietnam, among other countries. Photo: Guangdong Entomological Institute
Novel coronavirus most likely came from Asian bat: Hong Kong study
• Microbiologists at University of Hong Kong replicate cell structure of Chinese horseshoe bat’s intestine and successfully infect it
• Taken together with earlier research, the findings indicate the animal may be the original host of the virus, Dr Yuen Kwok-yung says
The novel coronavirus that sparked the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to have come from bats found in Asia, according to a new study by the University of Hong Kong.
The university’s microbiology department created a group of cells that resembled the intestine of the Chinese horseshoe bat, a species found in China, India, Nepal and Vietnam, among others. Researchers were able to successfully infect the cell structure with the coronavirus, known as Sars-CoV-2
Earlier research had found the bat species carried a virus like the one that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and which was similar to the novel coronavirus. The findings, taken together, meant “the Chinese horseshoe bat may really be the original host of this SARS-CoV-2”, microbiologist Dr Yuen Kwok-yung, who co-led the study, told the Post.
The study, also led by Assistant Professor Jane Zhou Jie, was published in the international journal
But Yuen said further studies needed to be conducted in the wild to confirm the origin of the virus.
The study was carried out on the bat species as it is known to be a carrier of many related coronaviruses. It was believed to be the natural host of the virus that trigged Sars in 2003, although no direct evidence could be found, possibly due to factors including difficulty accessing the animals in the wild.
The latest study attributed its success to replicating the bats’ intestinal structure in a laboratory environment.
The origin of the novel coronavirus has sparked a diplomatic tussle between the United States and China. While Washington blames Beijing for the outbreak, even asserting it has created the pathogen in a laboratory, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has hit back with a claim suggesting the virus might be linked to the US Army’s participation in the Military World Games held in Wuhan, Hubei province, in October.
Meanwhile, the HKU study also found the new coronavirus might attack patients’ intestines as well as compromising their lungs.
Researchers examined the stool specimen of a 68-year-old patient who had a fever, sore throat, cough and diarrhoea when she was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung.
Not only did the sample test positive for the coronavirus, the team managed to isolate the virus from the stool, which suggested an infection of her intestine had occurred.
In a separate setting, the team also introduced the virus to a group of human intestinal cells grown artificially in the laboratory.
It replicated quickly in cells generated from the small intestine, known as enteroids, as well as colonoids, those from the large intestine. Among the two types, there was a higher viral load in the colonoids.
The viral replication might give rise to gastrointestinal symptoms found in Covid-19 patients, although a further study would be needed to pinpoint the connection.
But it was unclear whether the infection was caused by the intake of food, or if it was a secondary reaction when the virus in the respiratory tract spread to the digestive system.
“It is still not possible for us to pinpoint whether the intestinal infection is coming from virus-contaminated food, sputum swallowed from the infected respiratory tract into the gastrointestinal tract, or the virus spilling from the respiratory tract into the bloodstream which then goes to the gut,” microbiologist Yuen explained.
“Always practise hand hygiene before eating or drinking,” Yuen urged the public, as live viruses could be found in patients’ stool.
Zhou said doctors might have to check the faeces of recovered Covid-19 patients before they were allowed back into the community.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post online and South China Morning Post print edition as: Asian bats likely ‘original host’ of virus
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