Review of Bats and SARS
Emerging Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.3201/eid1212.060401
- PMID
- 17326933
- PMCID
- PMC3291347
- OpenAlex
- W2121643748
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The identification of bat reservoirs for SARS-like coronaviruses provides insight into the origin and transmission pathways of SARS coronaviruses, informing understanding of zoonotic emergence from natural reservoirs.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study aimed to identify horseshoe bat species serving as the natural reservoir for progenitor viruses of SARS coronaviruses responsible for the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 outbreaks.
Study design
The research used PCR-based detection methods to identify coronaviruses in bat species, building on prior independent work that identified horseshoe bats (genus Rhinolophus) as reservoir hosts.
Population and setting
The study focused on multiple horseshoe bat species (genus Rhinolophus) that harbor SARS-like coronaviruses and other novel coronaviruses from groups 1 and 2.
Main findings
Multiple horseshoe bat species were confirmed as reservoirs for viruses genetically closely related to the SARS coronavirus. Novel bat coronaviruses from groups 1 and 2 were also detected, revealing substantial genetic diversity of coronaviruses in bats.
Public-health relevance
The identification of bat reservoirs for SARS-like coronaviruses provides insight into the origin and transmission pathways of SARS coronaviruses, informing understanding of zoonotic emergence from natural reservoirs.
Important limitations
This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata and requires the original paper for decision-grade interpretation.
GIDS interpretation
This article is discoverable through SARS, COVID-19, rabies, One Health, outbreak investigation, and transmission dynamics classifiers, reflecting its focus on zoonotic coronavirus reservoir identification and viral diversity in bats.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 10 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.