Cell Host Microbe 23, 1–5 (2018)

Bats have a remarkable ability to host numerous viruses that plague people, without any apparent ill-effects. Taking a closer look at immune pathways in three different bat species, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Duke-NUS Medical School recently identified a mutation in a highly conserved protein known as STING that is involved in the release of infection-fighting interferons to the presence of free-floating DNA. Viruses can contribute such DNA in animals, but so too can the metabolic demands of flight. The team observed that the signaling pathway is dampened compared to other mammals, allowing viruses to exist in bats without raising red flags with their immune system. Taking to the skies may have given bats the mean to cope with viruses that other mammals cannot.