Reseachers in Thailand testing horseshoe bats for coronavirus

 

Bats fly out of the cave at Wat Khao Chong Phran in Ratchaburi, Thailand March 13, 2020. Picture taken March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Juarawee Kittisilpa/Files

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Researchers in Thailand began collecting samples from horseshoe bats to test them for coronavirus amid concerns they may pose a threat to local residents, a government statement said on Saturday.

 

They plan to collect 300 bats over three days from a cave in the Chanthaburi province in the southeast of the country. The bats will be released following the tests.

 

Thailand has 23 species of the horseshoe bat, but there has not been an investigation before.

 

The source of the virus remains a matter of debate after it emerged in China late last year.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) in April said that all available evidence suggests that it originated in bats in China, but it was not clear how the virus had jumped the species barrier to humans.

 

The research team in Thailand includes Supaporn Wacharapluesadee, who identified the country's first case of COVID-19 in January.

 

“The reason we need to investigate the horseshoe bat is because there are reports from China that the COVID-19 virus is similar to the virus found in the horseshoe bat,” Supaporn said.

 

Thailand was the first country outside China to record a case of the virus. It has so far reported 3,134 cases and 58 deaths.

 

Researchers from the National Parks Department, Chulalongkorn Hospital and Kasetsart University entered the cave on Thursday evening and re-emerged in the early hours of Friday with samples of bat blood, saliva and feces.

 

Investigators were concerned that villagers in the area could be at risk of infection.

 

Locals have been known to eat bats, Supaporn said, adding adequate education and information programs were needed.

 

Local transmissions have waned in recent weeks with new cases coming from Thais returning from overseas.

 

(Reporting by Jiraporn Kuhakan and Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Clelia Oziel)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-06-13

 

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China has suggested that the virus could have come from elsewhere in SEA.

 

They're so full of lies that I doubt anyone's listening to them any more.

Edited June 13, 20206 yr by ukrules

All sounds a bit batty to me ..

I'm having bat soup tonight!  Tell you how it goes.  

 

18 minutes ago, ukrules said:

They're so full of lies 

My thoughts hexactly but I'd swap the L and E for a H and T .. 

Wow, this is like paranoia.

Let's find a reason why the second wave will come.

 

Now borders will be closed for bats.

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

Locals have been known to eat bats,

Well I never.......????????

16 minutes ago, Berti said:

Wow, this is like paranoia.

Let's find a reason why the second wave will come.

 

Now borders will be closed for bats.

Ahahaha, you think this is about a potential second wave?

 

This is about 'THE ORIGIN' of the virus.

Bat consumption in Thailand

Respondents who either had eaten bats or knew people who had eaten bats said that they were usually prepared by frying or stir-frying with garlic, chili and/or basil; or boiling in curry after discarding the intestines and wings. Some people also ferment bat meat as they would pork, and serve it with rice; or prepare a spicy bat soup.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4724787/

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

Ahahaha, you think this is about a potential second wave?

 

This is about 'THE ORIGIN' of the virus.

You don't really know the Thai people. LOL

 

It was a joke, by the way.

They should test the batman dvds next.

An offensive post has been removed. 

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Locals have been known to eat bats

With chips? ????

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

adequate education and information programs were needed.

For drive? ????

Edited June 13, 20206 yr by Tarteso

it is a long shot... but they might just pin it on them... 

 

 

 

ok then... best of, 3 bats

excellent, hopefully a cure cometh....

17 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Bat consumption in Thailand

Respondents who either had eaten bats or knew people who had eaten bats said that they were usually prepared by frying or stir-frying with garlic, chili and/or basil; or boiling in curry after discarding the intestines and wings. Some people also ferment bat meat as they would pork, and serve it with rice; or prepare a spicy bat soup.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4724787/

Had them 20 yers ago,deep fried with garlic, as a chef I couldn't refuse, didn't particularly like them,bittery coz liver they leave inside,crispy and salty.

Talked to my GF about it, she's from the North. She remembers that it was notmal for the people up there to eat bats long time ago. No idea about nowadays but I think habits didn't change a lot outside of the bigger cities.

 

19 hours ago, Blumpie said:

I'm having bat soup tonight!  Tell you how it goes.  

 

Me  too  but you do   have to  boil them for a long  time, cant decide whether cricket or  table  tennis?

     Oh well, time to start panicking, does Thailand have the super safe labs required for such research, don't want a copy of the Chinese labs.

I am more worry about the Ba(h)t☹️

I ate fruit bat in Sibu, East  Malaysia, The Hostess  bought them live in 2 cages on the way home.

They tasted great

 

no need to test them... just dont eat them

yep..here we go again...

 

so after 3 months, they might finally go catch some batch.... 

 

and a ticket to WUHAN ?

A future hotspot for Chinese zero baht bat soup tourism. 

16 hours ago, natway09 said:

I ate fruit bat in Sibu, East  Malaysia, The Hostess  bought them live in 2 cages on the way home.

They tasted great

 

Next delicacy must have been a sewer rat?

Ask Nora.

She'll know.

Still waiting for an update on what they found in the Chanthaburi caves horseshoe bats in Thailand.

 

The silence is deafening.