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SUMMARY:West-African straw-coloured fruit bats as a reservoir for viral zo
 onoses - Kate Baker\, Zoological Society of London
DTSTART:20130517T120000Z
DTEND:20130517T130000Z
UID:TALK45379@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Marius Somveille
DESCRIPTION:Species within the order chiroptera (bats) are increasingly be
 ing recognised as a reservoir for viral zoonoses. Bats harbour viruses tha
 t cause rabies\, haemorrhagic fevers\, as well as notorious agents\nsuch a
 s Hendra and Nipah viruses. They also appear to be the origin of deadly co
 ronaviruses including SARS-CoV and NCoV.\nThe African straw-coloured fruit
  bat is widely-distributed throughout the continent (and a number of islan
 ds) where it forms dense roosts\, often in urban areas. The species is als
 o eaten as bushmeat\, making it\nan unnerving reservoir of viral zoonoses.
 \nStudies into the species\, including metagenomic sequencing surveys as w
 ell as targeted PCR and isolation strategies\, revealed it to have a\nhigh
  number of diverse viruses\, some of which are zoonotic candidates.\nSeroe
 pidemiological investigations into the same populations revealed endemic i
 nfection of the species that fluctuated with seasonal life events.\n
LOCATION:Part II Lecture Theatre\, Department of Zoology\, Downing Street\
 , Cambridge CB2 3EJ
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