Vaccinating vampire bats in opposition to rabies might help stop the unfold of the illness to livestock and people. NPR’s Scott Simon talks with epidemiologist Tonie Rocke a couple of new solution to vaccinate bats.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Vampire bats might have earned their identify, because the Smithsonian Channel describes them…
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UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: Vampire bats are the one bats on the planet that feed on blood.
SIMON: Oh, my. Properly, if that is not sinister sufficient, the illnesses these bats carry, like rabies, can kill livestock and even people. The bats have triggered rabies outbreaks throughout their vary from Mexico to Argentina, however a brand new examine exhibits promise in a brand new methodology to attempt to vaccinate the animals, and it depends on a much less scary a part of vampire bat conduct. They’re recognized to groom one another. Tonie Rocke led the analysis crew. She’s an epidemiologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Nationwide Wildlife Well being Heart and joins us now for Madison, Wisconsin. Thanks very a lot for being with us.
TONIE ROCKE: I am pleased to be right here. Thanks for having me.
SIMON: They groom one another?
ROCKE: Oh, sure, one another and themselves loads, on a regular basis. It is conduct that we will make the most of in making use of medicines – and vaccines, particularly.
SIMON: Properly, inform us how that works.
ROCKE: Properly, so at present, the way in which to handle rabies depends on one thing referred to as a vampiricide. It is truly a poison that is utilized topically. The bats are launched, and so they return to their colony, and so they groom one another, eat the poison, and so they die. However sadly, this strategy can generally exacerbate rabies as a result of it causes the bats to disperse. As soon as bats begin dying of their colony, they’re going to disperse and carry the rabies with them. So we’re searching for a distinct strategy. We would use the identical type of methodology. We would apply a vaccine topically, launch the bats, after which they go once more and lick one another and switch vaccine as a substitute of poison.
SIMON: (Laughter) That is going to sound awfully naive, however – what? – you practice them? I imply, what…
ROCKE: No. There is no coaching them. We entice them, seize them, apply the fabric, and so they simply naturally return to their colonies. And so they wish to get the fabric off of them as quickly as they’ll. In order that they return. All of them lick one another and themselves, and so they devour the fabric.
SIMON: And forgive me if this sounds insensitive, however why ought to we care concerning the survival of vampire bats?
ROCKE: It isn’t a lot the survival of vampire bats that we’re anxious about. We’re anxious about transmission of rabies to cattle and to people. And so if we vaccinate them, it improves their survival barely, however extra importantly, it stops transmission of the virus.
SIMON: Now, I collect that is what we name a preprint examine as a result of you have not been peer reviewed but. However are you able to inform us the place your work goes from right here?
ROCKE: Certain. So this examine, particularly, was actually describing the medium that we’ll use to use the vaccine to the bats in. We have needed to work on that a short while to verify it is the proper consistency, that it transfers to bats, that they will eat it.
SIMON: I’ve to ask. While you speak about guaranteeing that the bats will eat it, I imply, does this imply developing with a pleasant taste?
ROCKE: No. They simply wish to get it off of them. So it interferes with their flight and every little thing. In order that they’ll lick something, actually, that you just placed on them. It isn’t – in all probability does not style superb, to be sincere.
SIMON: And what do you see as a number of the implications of this examine, if what you consider you’ve got found is borne out?
ROCKE: Properly, for one, this might be used to handle different illnesses in bats, particularly, different zoonotic illnesses that have an effect on individuals.
SIMON: Properly, the implications of this for different species additionally had been fairly good, aren’t they?
ROCKE: Sure, as a result of they transmit illnesses to a number of different species, actually rabies to different wildlife, however notably livestock in Latin America.
SIMON: Analysis epidemiologist Tonie Rocke, who’s with the U.S. Geological Survey. Thanks a lot for being with us.
ROCKE: You are welcome. My pleasure.
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