Bats found to have unique antibody genes

Researchers at Tulane University, Stanford University and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have discovered a unique feature of bats’ immune systems that may help explain their unusual ability to carry viruses without becoming seriously ill.
A study published in Science Advances found that vesper bats, the world’s largest bat family, possess two separate sets of genes involved in producing antibodies. Other known mammals have only one such set.
The discovery was made in vesper bats, a group comprising more than 500 species found on every continent except Antarctica. Antibodies help the immune system recognize and fight infections.
Researchers found that the bats have two distinct heavy-chain gene systems, potentially allowing them to produce a greater variety of antibodies.
The findings challenge scientists’ understanding of mammalian immune systems and suggest that bats may have evolved unusually diverse adaptive immune responses.
Researchers cautioned that the discovery does not fully explain why bats are effective reservoirs for viruses, but said it provides a new direction for studying how they tolerate infections that can cause severe disease in other mammals.