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Why bats can carry deadly viruses without getting seriously ill

Bats can carry viruses that cause severe disease in humans yet often remain healthy themselves. New research offers clues about their unique immune system and how it controls viral infections.

Why bats can carry deadly viruses without getting seriously ill
5 min readNew DelhiSep 11, 2026 01:53 PM IST
A bat hanging upside down as scientists study how bats' immune systems respond to bat virusBats can carry several viruses without developing severe illness, prompting scientists to study their unique immune systems (Image Source: Unsplash)
The scientific world has long been intrigued by how bats can carry viruses that can cause severe disease while rarely becoming seriously ill themselves. As per a report published by Science Daily, researchers at Tulane University, working with collaborators at Stanford University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may now have identified part of the answer.

Are bats completely immune to the viruses they carry?

A study published in Science Advances found that the world’s largest family of bats carries two distinct copies of the genes involved in producing antibodies, which help the immune system identify and fight infections. On the other hand, every other known mammal has only one such set of genes.
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