Beginning in the fall of 2002 there was a pandemic ofsevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus(SARS - CoV ) , which causes a very severe rendering of pneumonia . Starting in southern China , the disease spread to 33 countries , affecting 8094 and killing 774 . The virus belong to the coronavirus family which is the same as the common common cold . SARSsymptoms include respiratory distraint , fever , diarrhea , and malaise . Now investigator say that bats are the origin of the pandemic .
Bats have long been distrust as a natural man-made lake for coronaviruses . They have already been connected in hostingNipah and Hendra , Ebola , and now investigator have discovered a tight have-to doe with virus in Taiwanese horseshoe bat which can infect human cells that causes a SARS - same illness known as Middle East Respiratory syndrome ( MERS ) . MERS has kill 62 citizenry since its growth in 2012 .
In 2005 , a virus was discovered in horseshoe bats which is 88 - 92 % genetically identical to SARS - CoV. Included in the 8 - 12 % remainder is the genetic computer code for the “ spike ” protein which allow for the virus to taint human cells . In fact , these regions were incredibly dissimilar . This led scientist to conceive that bats may have been indirectly responsible andpalm civetsmay have acted as an intermediate for the computer virus to mutate into something that could cause illness in humans .
A late report published inNaturedetails an experiment in which researchers gather fecal samples from Formosan shoe bats in search of coronaviruses . In the region that codes for the spike protein , these samples were much closer to the SARS - CoV. The team was able to isolate a live virus and use it to infect kidney cell in squealer and bats , but they were also able-bodied to taint human lung cubicle .
Whilethis studyis not capable to determine if an average was used a decade ago with the SARS pandemic , the new paper shows that civets may not have been necessary for the virus to spread from bats to mankind .
Some scientists are skeptical and say that what can find in the lab is not necessarily likely to happen in nature . Many bats carry hydrophobia , which can promptly infect human tissue paper , but transmittal is exceedingly rarefied . However , the more science see about the feature of coronaviruses may allow scientist to better predict and potentially preclude another SARS - corresponding pandemic .
