Wallabies and bats harbor fossil genes from the most deadly family of human viruses.
New findings by University at Buffalo biologists reveal they harbor a fossil copy of a gene that codes for filoviruses, which cause Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fevers, the most lethal viruses known to humans.
They have harbored filoviruses for at least tens of millions of years, in contrast to the existing estimate of a few thousand.
These species maintain a filovirus infection without negative health consequences, perhaps as a genetic defense.
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