NIAID, WCS Scientists Show Feasibility of Tracking Bats, Ebola With GPS Collars | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

NIAID, WCS Scientists Show Feasibility of Tracking Bats, Ebola With GPS Collars | NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019

Scientists Show Feasibility of Tracking Bats, Ebola With GPS Collars

NIAID, WCS Scientists Show Feasibility of Tracking Bats, Ebola With GPS Collars

GPS tracking devices placed on hammer-headed bats near Libonga in the Republic of the Congo have given NIAID scientists and Wildlife Conservation Society colleagues a rare, detailed look at the daily routines of these suspected Ebola virus reservoirs. No researcher has isolated live Ebola virus in any bat species, though scientists believe that hammer-headed bats could maintain Ebola virus in nature. By understanding bat patterns—including how often and when they visit villages and how they respond to seasonal changes—scientists hope to eventually detect and predict viral disease outbreaks.