New viruses discovered in bats

The beta herpes virus appeared to be a distant relative of human cytomegalovirus. These novel viruses are the first herpes viruses to be described in bats.

IZW pathologist Dr. Gudrun Wibbelt says many of the bats that she dissected showed signs of pulmonary disease.

She adds; “We cannot rule out that the newly detected herpes viruses are linked to diseases of the lung but we need further studies to clarify the role of these viruses.”

Asked if the pathogens may pose a threat to humans, the pathologist says: “Herpes viruses are very host-specific. They evolved closely with their host-species. I think it’s unlikely that herpes viruses from bats cause any diseases in humans.”

Media Contact

Josef Zens alfa

More Information:

http://www.izw-berlin.de

All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry

Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.

Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

The Sound of the Perfect Coating

Fraunhofer IWS Transfers Laser-based Sound Analysis of Surfaces into Industrial Practice with “LAwave”. Sound waves can reveal surface properties. Parameters such as surface or coating quality of components can be…

Customized silicon chips

…from Saxony for material characterization of printed electronics. How efficient are new materials? Does changing the properties lead to better conductivity? The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS develops and…

Acetylation: a Time-Keeper of glucocorticoid Sensitivity

Understanding the regulatory mechanism paves the way to enhance the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory therapies and to develop strategies to counteract the negative effects of stress- and age-related cortisol excess. The…

Partners & Sponsors