Bats Pose No ‘Higher Threat’ of Spreading Viruses

Bats are no more likely than other mammals or birds to transmit viruses to humans, and it is the characteristics of the viruses themselves that predict zoonotic transmission, researchers reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Our finding that the number of zoonoses that have emerged from bats is about what would be expected for any mammalian group of their size casts doubt on the idea that traits of bats produce viruses with a heightened propensity to infect humans,” said Daniel Streicker, a senior research fellow at the University of Glasgow.