Bats Seen as SARS Source

Two groups of scientists, working independently, this week published papers on research that determines that SARS likely originated in Chinese bats, rather than civets, as was originally thought.

In a paper published online today in Science Express, scientists say that SARS (Severe Acute Repiratory Syndrome) originated in Chinese horseshoe bats, not civets as was originally hypothesized. A separate research team, led by scientists from the University of Hong Kong, published similar findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences earlier this week.

The SARS coronavirus was responsible for a worldwide outbreak in 2002-2003 that affected more than 8,000 people and killed 774 before being brought under control.

The research points to Chinese bats as the reservoirs for the disease but now the next step is to determine how the disease moved from bats, to civets, and then to humans. One possible clue to this jumping of the species barrier was the fact that bats and civets were both kept in Guangdong markets, the region where the disease first emerged. Bats have medicinal usage in Chinese culture.

Click here to read the BBC's coverage.

In a related note, microbiologist Yi Guan, from the University of Hong Kong, told Reuters today he is concerned about the possibility of the misuse of oseltamivir, sold under the brand name Tamiflu, raising the possibility of drug resistance.

According to recent research published in The Lancet medical journal resistance to anti-flu drugs had risen by 12 percent worldwide in the past decade and in by more than 70 percent in some countries in Asia, including China.

"It's not accidental that resistance is highest in China. Something happened. When SARS happened, everyone went crazy. So people take antivirals now, they think they have bird flu (when they could have just the common flu or cold)," Guan told Reuters.

The US Senate today voted to provide $4 billion to stockpile anti-flu medicine -- $3 billion for Tamiflu -- as part of next year's defense bill, which is still to be approved by Congress.

See CTV coverage of Canada's plans on bird flu. Also see New Biology Economy, Sept.22.

Tags -- SARS, Bird Flu