What bats might be able to teach us about AIDS
Carol Meteyer, USGS National Wildlife Health Center
With an estimated 6.7 million bat deaths related to white nose syndrome, understanding this devastating disease is more important than ever. Wildlife Pathologist Carol Meteyer, from the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, has been studying the carcasses of bats that survived white nose syndrome infections, only to succumb to their own immune systems. The overactive immune response is called immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). While hibernating, the immune system of these bats are down-regulated making them more vulnerable to white nose syndrome infections that results in muscle, skin and connective tissue wasting. When the bats arouse from hibernation, their immune systems go into hyperdrive attempting to eliminate the pathogen, resulting in the destruction of not only the disease, but also healthy tissues and cells.
To learn more about white nose syndrome, see:
White Nose Syndrome – Revisited
White Nose Syndrome – Continued
Hibernating North American Bats Face Possible Endangerment
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2012-12-11 00:03:08
Source: http://scienceblogs.com/lifelines/2012/12/10/what-bats-might-be-able-to-teach-us-about-aids/
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