How Do Virus-Riddled Bats Survive?

Although Ebola, Covid-19 and SARS are well-known viruses, they are actually caused by bats. They also carry different diseases such as Marburg virus and henipaviruses in their own bodies and subsequently infect people. They are creatures with potential.

But the biggest question mark at this point is that although bats carry deadly viruses, It’s how they’re still alive.

Rather than carrying deadly diseases, bats tolerate them significantly.

Researchers use these abilities to their evolution associates with. Namely, the immune system and physiology of bats have a number of unique features.

The metabolic rate of bats, the only mammal that can fly, increases up to 15 times during flight. Their heart rate can exceed a thousand beats per minute, which is approximately below their resting heart rate. It is 4 or 5 times more.

Additionally, a bat increases its body temperature up to 44-45 °C during flight. This temperature is the lethal limit that mammals can tolerate. In other words, when bats fly, they push their physiological limits quite a bit.

“So what does this have to do with viruses?” If you say, here we come to there.

In addition to all these, bats are also very resistant to the aging process due to their structure. Although they have a high body temperature and metabolic rate They are the longest-lived mammals in the world.

According to scientists, these special ways they have developed to reduce the intense effects of flying make them It has made it extremely tolerant to viruses. In other words, they fight successfully against viruses.

When our body encounters any virus; It reacts with fever, pain, cough and various inflammations.

However, when bats encounter a virus, their bodies do not develop symptoms just like humans do. Because their entire existence as a flying mammal is It basically consists of fighting against diseases.

For this reason, their reactions to a virus work differently than ours. bats, virus to stop it from multiplying before and after entering their bodies. It secretes a number of cells.

In addition, even if viruses enter their bodies, they to a low level and easily tolerate the rest He is quite skilled.

Of course, bats are not invincible, but in general They are very resistant to viruses and various diseases.

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