Bat cave solves mystery of deadly SARS virus — and suggests new outbreak could occur (original) (raw)

Chinese scientists find all the genetic building blocks of SARS in a single population of horseshoe bats.

By

  1. David Cyranoski
    1. David Cyranoski reports for Nature from Shanghai, China.

After a detective hunt across China, researchers chasing the origin of the deadly SARS virus have finally found their smoking gun. In a remote cave in Yunnan province, virologists have identified a single population of horseshoe bats that harbours virus strains with all the genetic building blocks of the one that jumped to humans in 2002, killing almost 800 people around the world.

Access options

Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals

Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription

$32.99 / 30 days

cancel any time

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 51 print issues and online access

$199.00 per year

only $3.90 per issue

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Additional access options:

Nature 552, 15-16 (2017)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-017-07766-9

References

  1. Hu, B. et al. PLoS Pathog. 13, e1006698 (2017).
    Article Google Scholar
  2. Li, W. et al. Science 310, 676–679 (2005).
    Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
  3. Cui, J. et al. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 13, 1526–1532 (2007).
    Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
  4. Ge, X. Y. et al. Nature 503, 535-538 (2013).
    Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
  5. Yang, X.-L. et al. J. Virol. 90, 3253-3256 (2016).
    Article CAS Google Scholar

Download references

Subjects

Latest on: