Bats: Important Reservoir Hosts of Emerging Viruses

Authors

Charles H. Calisher, Colorado State University
James E. Childs, Yale University School of MedicineFollow
Hume E. Field, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Brisbane, Queensland
Tony Schountz, University of Northern Colorado
Kathryn V. Holmes, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

Date of this Version

2006

Comments

Published in CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS, July 2006, p. 531–545 Vol. 19, No. 3 0893-8512/06 doi:10.1128/CMR.00017-06

Abstract

The remarkable mammals known as “bats” and “flying foxes” (order Chiroptera [“hand wing”]) may be the most abundant, diverse, and geographically dispersed vertebrates (Table 1). Although a great deal is known about them, detailed information is needed to explain the astonishing variations of their anatomy, their lifestyles, their roles in ecosystems ecology, and their importance as reservoir hosts of viruses of proven or potential significance for human and veterinary health.