Bats are the only flying animals that can fly, but they are also considered to be "flying virus database". Although it seems that it is not dangerous to humans and will not harm humans in normal times, bats are definitely not easy to mess with, and there are great risks in contact with them.
According to Thai media reports on October 4, a research team of 10 people related to biology (some say it is a hiking group) recently entered a tree hole of a century-old tree to investigate. Shortly after it came out, 7 people suffered from strange diseases, which were found to be related to a bacteria in the bat cave.
This ancient tree is called "Chang Muang". It belongs to the family of Dragon Bobacteria spice family. It grows in the forest of Nalongsen District, Tongsong County, Tanma Lai Prefecture, Thailand. Although it is also a tourist attraction, few people will get there. It usually requires the guidance of locals to reach it. The ancient tree has been hundreds of years old and has a height of about 40 meters. The tree is very thick. It has a large tree hole inside, about three meters high, and can accommodate 7 people in it. It is usually a local vampire bat shelter from wind and rain.
In July this year, this "very bold" team visited the ancient tree and entered the hole in the tree. Perhaps they wanted to study the vampire bats inside. All 10 people went into the hole for a while and inspected it. Within 2 to 3 weeks after returning, 7 of the 10-person team developed symptoms such as coughing, sleepy, fatigue and weakness. Some of them were more serious. After hospitalization, they found that there were lesions in the lungs, which showed that some 3 mm to 1 cm spots appeared, and it was spreading. Later, a biopsy was performed and found that a large number of histoplasmosis was multiplied in the patient's lungs.
Inquiry found that the parent strain of this histoplasma is from the excrement of bats. Because it is very small, it can float in a small confined space like smoke. After these people enter the tree hole, the plasma is sucked into their bodies by them and starts to grow and reproduce when they encounter a warm and humid environment.
The team did not contact the bats in the ancient tree bat cave, but was still infected. Some people in the local area said that the patient was "destroying the head" by bats, and 7 out of 10 people suffered from strange diseases (the other 3 people did not undergo examinations). Fortunately, due to the timely delivery of the hospital and the discovery, the condition of the seven patients was basically controlled, and their bodies gradually recovered after targeted medication.
But this incident also made people see the terrifyingness of bats. What makes this little animal scary is not itself, but the bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc. it carries.
Many friends know that many virus tracing can be traced back to bats. It is known that bats carry at least 200 coronaviruses, including SARS virus, MERS virus, Nipah virus, Marburg virus, etc. It is known that the origin of the new coronavirus is also closely related to the viruses carried by bats.
This is also because the body temperature of a bat is a unique place in the animal world. When flying, its body temperature is as high as 40 degrees Celsius. Some studies believe that bats are the animals with the largest temperature changes (except fruit bats), up to 56℃, and their normal body temperature changes between -7.5-48.5℃, which means that it can tolerate the lowest temperature of minus 7.5, and the highest body temperature can reach 48.5℃. No other animals can survive with such a high body temperature.
The body temperature of a bat is so high, which is also its need to complete its flight activities. When the bat is flying, its whole body is moving rapidly and vigorously, so the body heats up very quickly, but its body temperature is not that high when it is not flying. However, it is not just the high temperature of bats that provide a place for the existence of a large number of viruses, but its unique immune mechanism, which is insensitive to virus invasion, so many viruses can exist in bats for a long time.
But bats can inhibit the large amount of replication of viruses and prevent them from causing severe inflammation, which makes bats build themselves into a "healthy virus library". Its body is almost unaffected by the virus. The immune systems of other mammals or birds have much stronger stress responses when exposed to the virus, so the symptoms will be very obvious, and in severe cases, there may be death.
Bats are not easy to mess with. Although people rarely come into contact with this kind of small animals, they may encounter this kind of small animals in rural areas or in some caves in the wild or in ancient buildings without humans. Therefore, you should pay more attention. If you come into contact, you must disinfect it. If you are discomfort, seek medical examination immediately.
Reference:
"Thailand Broadcast" Article on October 4 "A scientific research team in Thailand enters a tree hole for bats living in a tree, and 7 people suffer from strange diseases in their lungs"
#Taiwanese Creation Challenge#
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