the thought of bat leads Iroro Tanshi in delight. “They’re perfect!” — exclaims Ororo.
Nigerian Iroro Tanshi — graduate of Texas tech University. Composed of an impressive group of researchers, she is trying to break the prejudice about bats.
towards the bat has deteriorated markedly since the beginning of the pandemic coronavirus: many assumed that they gave Kovid-19 people. Reports of mass extermination of bats from Australia to Indonesia, which led in some areas to their complete destruction, has alarmed environmentalists worldwide.
But while we blame the bats in what is happening, the real culprit escapes from responsibility. And here’s why.
the structure of the virus Sars-Cov2, which causes Kovid-19, 96% the same as another virus previously detected in wild podkovonos bats, says Iroro.
“According to a recent evolutionary study, the virus Sars-Cov2 separated from the virus, discovered in podkovonos mice, about 40-70 years ago. This is another evidence in favor of the fact that bats could not pass coronavirus infection directly to people,” explains Iroro.
agree With her by other researchers.
“From an evolutionary point of view, humans and mice are fairly far apart from each other. So if SARS-CoV-2 really came from the bat, this could not happen directly, but only through some intermediate,” says Paul Webala, senior lecturer at a Kenyan University the Masai Mara.
in Other words, even if the coronavirus and descended from bats, to ensure that the virus has the ability to spread to man, his structure was supposed to evolve — for example, in the body some another animal, who played the role of mediator.
Ororo Tense and other researchers believe that blame for the spread of the coronavirus should not be bats, and especially themselves.
“Human activities have created ideal conditions for the pandemic coronavirus,” — said the Professor Webala.
“invasion of the habitat of the wild animals that caused the death of many species and the depletion of natural resources, and transportation, storage and trade of wild animals — these actions create ideal conditions for the spread of pathogens between species that have not previously interacted,” — says Webala.
“There are various evidence that the risk of zoonotic infection, in which diseases are transmitted from animals to humans, increases due destruction of habitat of mammals,” adds the Professor.
on the Contrary, the mass extermination and exile mice from their usualth habitat will lead to even more serious consequences, scientists warn.
“About 70% of the 14 thousand species of bats are insectivores. This means that they feed exclusively on insects and other arthropods,” — says Paul Webala.”A night or winged insects, eaten by mice carrying pathogenic microorganisms that are transmitted to people”. These insects can carry diseases affecting humans, including dengue fever and malaria.
Therefore, the capture and displacement of bats from their habitats may cause outbreaks of other infectious diseases.
“If you wear cotton clothing, if you drink coffee or tea, eat dishes based on corn or a variety of other agricultural products, you will inevitably overlap with the activities of the bats one way or another,” says Professor Webala.
Bats perform vital functions in the ecosystem: they help to pollinate plants, protect them from pests. From food to cosmetics, from furniture to medicines are very much is produced with the participation of these bat creatures.
Without bats from Indonesia would not be a successful harvest of durian, Madagascar would have lost his famous baobab, and macadamia plantations would be destroyed.
“Bats carry two times more seeds than birds, says Professor Webala. — They provide a vital gene flow and the restoration of the damaged areas of tropical forest”.
Studies tell us that only in the US, bats save farmers billions of dollars a year on pesticides and reduce crop damage.
“Bats are incredibly lucky: their populations can be found on all continents except Antarctica,” says Ororo Tense.
Ororo explored the caves, forests, mountains and savannahs in search of habitats of bats. The results demonstrate their phenomenal ability to adapt, says the researcher.
“your Fingers as the wings move with echolocation and the ability to see in the dark allowed them to actually colonize the night sky. If we compare mammals with artwork, bats are deservedly considered masterpieces!”.
“it Turns out that bats have a remarkable immune system, which is adapted to peaceful coexistence with different pathogens,” says Webalo.
“This remarkable resilience can provide the ground for new research in the field of antiviral drugs for people,” he concluded.
