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Bats not only carry the deadly Ebola virus, they are also a reservoir for a new type of influenza virus. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now shown that these newly discovered influenza viruses could also attack human and livestock cells.
Seasonal influenza outbreaks are caused by influenza viruses that can only infect people. The types of flu that circulate in birds or pigs do not normally pose a threat to humans. However, in rare cases, an avian or porcine virus can transmit to humans – a process called zoonotic transmission – which, in the worst case, can lead to a global flu pandemic causing many serious diseases and diseases. death.
Bats as a reservoir of dangerous viruses
About six years ago, a new type of influenza virus was discovered in bats in South America. Virologists have long been a focus of virologists. Indeed, they carry many types of viruses, including deadly viruses such as the Ebola virus. However, it was not known before if influenza viruses of bat also constituted a threat to humans. An international research team led by the University of Zurich (UZH) has discovered that these new influenza viruses are likely to also infect humans and livestock.
Global search for "gateway"
Influenza viruses known to date bind to host cells via sialic acid. These groups of chemicals can be found on the surface of almost all human cells and in various animals. This is one of the reasons why influenza viruses can infect very different species from each other, such as ducks, chickens, pigs and humans. Unlike these viruses, bat flu viruses do not bind to sialic acids. This is why several research teams around the world have begun to search for the receptor through which they enter human cells.
Bat viruses use the MHC-II molecule to enter the cell
Silke Stertz and his team at the Institute of Medical Virology of the UZH have now been able to identify this "gateway". "Influenza viruses use MHC-II molecules to enter the host cell," says the study leader. These protein complexes are normally located on the surface of certain immune cells and their role is to distinguish the cells and structures of the body from those that are foreign. Some other types of viruses also enter the cells in this way.
Potential risk for humans and livestock
"What surprised us is that the bat flu viruses can use not only human MHC-II cell complexes, but also chickens, pigs, mice and several species of bats, "says Umut Karakus, candidate for the thesis at the UZH. Influenza viruses in bats can infect humans and livestock, at least at the level of incoming cells. "Such an infection has not been observed yet, but our results show that viruses usually have this zoonotic potential," adds Stertz. This is reason enough for the UZH virologist to continue his research on potentially dangerous viruses, particularly because, because of migration and travel, the problem is not limited to South America.
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Material provided by University of Zurich. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.
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