Fruit bats in Guatemala harbour a strain of influenza virus, researchers report — expanding the known mammalian reservoir for the largely bird-borne influenza A.

Credit: ILAN EJZYKOWICZ

Suxiang Tong of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, and her colleagues screened 316 bats from 21 species for a variety of viruses. Viral genome sequencing revealed that three little yellow-shouldered bats (Sturnira lilium; pictured), were positive for influenza A. Analysis of two key proteins that are shared by all influenza strains, as well as other viral genes, showed that this strain — designated H17 — diverged from other known influenza viruses long ago.

The authors say that H17 seems to pose no immediate threat to humans. However, it is similar enough to other subtypes that genetic exchange with them could produce a virus infectious to other animal species, including humans.

Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1116200109 (2012)

For a longer story on this research, see go.nature.com/fnjy2l