Study
Bat flight and zoonotic viruses
O'Shea, Thomas J.; Cryan, Paul M.; Cunningham, Andrew A.; Fooks, Anthony R.; Hayman, David T. S.; Wood, James L. N.
Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2014
A synthesis asking why bats appear to host a disproportionate number of viruses that can infect humans, examining flight physiology, immune function, longevity and colony ecology.
- Studied in
- Chiroptera
- Sample size
- synthesis of bat physiology and viral reservoir literature
Bats do host a notable diversity of viruses, and the authors propose that the extreme metabolic demands of flight — with body temperatures and metabolic rates resembling a fever — may have shaped an immune system that tolerates viral infection rather than clearing it aggressively.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Flight-associated physiology is a plausible contributor to the bat–virus association, and warrants direct testing.
How NatureHQ reads it
Worth including precisely because the popular version of this is dangerous in both directions. Bats do carry viruses that matter, and the framing that follows — bats as uniquely diseased animals to be destroyed — has driven roost destruction that increases human contact rather than reducing it. Two corrections belong together: take a bat bite seriously, and do not conclude from that that bats should be cleared out of an area.
- The flight-immunity hypothesis is a proposal, not a demonstrated mechanism.
- Sampling effort is uneven; bats have been searched for viruses more intensively than most orders.
- Says nothing about the risk from any individual bat encounter.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: National and international public health agenciesGuidance summarised from national and international public health agencies; consult the agency for your own country.
doi.org/10.3201/eid2005.130539
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref on 2026-08-11.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-10.