Virus Tolerance and Mammalian Longevity: Do They Hold the Key to Fighting Emerging Infections?

As of August 2023, the SARS-CoV-2 caused the COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 6.88 million people worldwide and spread to 216 countries. On a global scale, it had severe knock-on effects on the economy, increasing unemployment, poverty, and hunger.

The extent of spreading COVID-19 was controlled by administering non-replicating RNA vaccines designed to induce immunoprotection in humans. To prevent the occurrence of future pandemics, experts have recognized the importance of understanding interspecies viral transmission and other environmental factors that contribute to the spread of viral diseases to humans.

Virus Tolerance in Mammals

In animals, particularly mammals, immunological response to viral infection is a natural way to restore homeostasis and protect an organism from possible tissue damage. The nature of the reactions typically differs between species and between individuals of the same species.

Among the members of mammalian species, bats stand out in their ability to tolerate viral infections and avoid cancers. For most people, bats may be creatures of the night, but for researchers, these cave-dwellers are a miracle mammal. A new groundbreaking study suggests that the bat's immune system may be key to unlocking ways to combat viral infections and cancer.

Bats are recognized for their unique ability to host and survive viruses, longevity, and low cancer rates. A study conducted at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory found that bats might be responsible for the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 since the closely related viruses were detected in wild bats. Scientists hope that by understanding the unique immune systems of bats, they can be closer to developing effective ways to prevent and treat cancer in humans.

According to study author Richard McCombie, their team wanted to expand their understanding of how some animal species are more cancer-resistant than humans and age slower than other mammals. The experts believe these genes boost bats' ability to resist cancer better than other mammals, including humans.

What Makes Bat's Immunity Unique?

Bats have mystified scientists for many years due to their unique ability to live normally with viruses that sicken and kill most other mammals, including humans. In most mammals, their immune systems evolve fast as this group of animals always faces the challenge of new pathogens in their environment. Each mammalian species needs to constantly keep pace with the emergence of new microorganisms that try to infect and hurt them. While several mammals demonstrate genetic adaptations, they pale compared to the ones that allow bats to fight off infections effectively.

Most wild animals tend to develop cancer, but since age is a risk factor, many do not survive long enough to suffer from the disease. Meanwhile, bats live long lifespans, some surviving to the human equivalent of 200 years, yet they rarely get cancer.