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Comment
. 2019 May;4(5):728-729.
doi: 10.1038/s41564-019-0430-9.

Bat tolerance to viral infections

David T S Hayman  1
Affiliations
Comment

Bat tolerance to viral infections

David T S Hayman. Nat Microbiol. 2019 May.

Abstract

Inflammatory molecules evolved partly to protect hosts from viruses, but increasing evidence suggests that they cause disease pathology and chronic conditions, and play a role in aging. By mitigating these effects, bats are able to both tolerate viral infections and live well beyond expectations.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Differences in traits related to longevity and infection between bats and other mammals.
a–f, Expected general relationships between mammals (diagonal lines). g, Bat viruses evolve in high IFN environments (green), so viral replication (yellow) continues when humans exhibit increased IFN expression following infection with bat viruses. Reduced inflammation (red) moderates disease pathology in bats and reduced B cell affinity maturation lowers antibody responses (blue).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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