Washington, Aug 23 (IANS) The deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus has been found in an insect-eating bat in Saudi Arabia, researchers from the United States and Saudi Arabia said.
The discovery, described in the journal ‘Emerging Infectious Diseases’, points to a likely animal origin for the disease but an intermediary animal is likely also involved, researchers from the Columbia University, EcoHealth Alliance, and the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia said, Xinhua reported.
The researchers collected more than 1,000 samples from seven bat species in regions where cases of MERS were identified in Bisha, Unaizah, and Riyadh between October 2012 and April 2013.
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