New Bat FLU Virus Discovered in Guatemalan Fruit Bats Says CDC

According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a new influenza A virus, recently discovered in fruit bats in Guatemala, does not appear to pose a current threat to humans. The CDC continues, however, to say that the Bat Flu virus should be studied as a potential source for human influenza.

The study was published recently in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and was based on findings from scientists from the CDC working with others at the University of the Valley of Guatemala.

“This is the first time an influenza virus has been identified in bats, but in its current form the virus is not a human health issue,” said Dr. Suxiang Tong, team lead of the Pathogen Discovery Program in CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases and lead author of the study. “The study is important because the research has identified a new animal species that may act as a source of flu viruses.”

In order for the bat flu virus to infect humans, a genetic process known as reassortment would need to occur. This process takes place when more than one influenza virus infects a single host cell. This then allows the viruses to exchange genetic information eventually leading to a new influenza virus in humans. Pandemics of the 20th century, as well as the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, were caused by influenza viruses in animals that underwent a reassortment process and eventually went on to infect and spread to humans.

The early research by the CDC does indicate that the Bat Flu virus genes are compatible with human influenza viruses. “Fortunately, initial laboratory testing suggests the new virus would need to undergo significant changes to become capable of infecting and spreading easily among humans,” said Dr. Ruben Donis, chief of the Molecular Virology and Vaccines Branch in CDC’s Influenza Division and a study co–author. “A different animal – such as a pig, horse or dog –would need to be capable of being infected with both this new bat influenza virus and human influenza viruses for reassortment to occur.”