NEW DELHI : Scientists have found the presence of coronavirus—but not the one causing covid-19—in two Indian bat species that are commonly found in the Western Ghats.
Researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) examined the throat and rectal swabs of more than 586 bats collected from 10 states and Union territories—Kerala, Karnataka, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Odisha, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Chandigarh—over the past two years.
The bats belonged to two Indian species, Pteropus and Rousettus. At least 25 of the bats examined—four Pteropus and 21 Rousettus—were found to be carrying the bat coronavirus.