Bats have become the latest mammals susceptible to H5N1, the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus responsible for bird flu.
PUBLISHED Dec 10, 2025
"Each time the virus jumps to a new mammalian host, he says, it gains opportunities to mutate and evolve, potentially bringing it closer to spreading among people"
LINK:
Science News Bats have become the latest mammals susceptible to H5N1, the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus responsible for bird flu. In Peru, over a dozen vampire bats have been found carry...
COMMENT / SIDE-NOTE: Although this article concentrates on the possible avian flu jump from bat to human , I can't help but think about how many bats frequent farms and how bats frequent the rafters of barns, sheds, and livestock shelters. Bat droppings just like mouse droppings could also contribute to the spread of avian flu from bat to other mammals and livestock. It would not shock me if bats could give the avian flu to chickens housed in coop or cows in a barn.
There's a lot of bats around farms. Bats go after the type of insects that are also attracted to farm and animal areas...
Sometimes farmers even host bats on purpose to reduce insects if I am not mistaken and they build bat houses. I'd say it would be very rare for bats
not to be tucked in a little dark corner hidden in the rafter of a barn. That's usually where they are...in the little shadow in the corner of where the rafter meets the roof.
Had a buddy and we went catfishing at night next to a river and bats would bounce off the line on or fishing poles all night.. the bats got confused thought the vibration of the line was and insect or something...it just goes to show bats also hunt by the water.
(bats bounce off a kite line too if you are reeling in a kite at dusk and also bats can be spooked or confused by sound like the overtones of an electric guitar played real high pitched under certain conditions)
