PROBING HOW BATS BEAT EBOLA

From the wild to the lab, scientists have developed a process for testing disease resistance.

1 BAGGING A BAT Epauletted fruit bats hang in cheesecloth bags after being trapped near the village of Kanabu in northwestern Uganda. These bats seem to be able to survive Ebola virus infections, which can kill other mammals. Scientists want to find out how. 2 PREPPING FOR TRANSPORT DeeAnn Reeder of Bucknell University works with her team to bag and label the bats. The bats spend a few nights in a screen tent flight cage before they are transferred to enclosures at Muni University in Arua, a two-hour drive away. 3 REST AND RECOVERY Before leaving the field camp, the research team transfers the bats to large tents where they are free to fly. As part of the protocol, says Reeder, “we give them a little mango juice.” Researchers are working to identify how bat pathogens…

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National Geographic (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2024

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