Deadly Marburg virus linked to fruit bat

[Wayne Harrison]

Updated Wed. Aug. 22 2007 6:25 AM ET

Canadian Press

Scientists have discovered traces of the Marburg virus in specimens drawn from a species of fruit bats, the strongest evidence to date that some bats are the source of the deadly infection.

The discovery, based on bats collected in the rain forests of Gabon, was reported Tuesday in the journal PLoS One by researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and the Centre International de Recherches Medicales de Franceville and the Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement, Franceville, Gabon.

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