“Bats living in Armenia are not infected with coronavirus.” Astghik Ghazaryan

Our interlocutor Astghik Ghazaryan, a researcher at the Department of Zoology at the Faculty of Biology of Yerevan State University, is interested in bats, which Chinese scientists claim transmit the COVID-19 coronavirus because bats’ special immune systems allow them to become infected with many viral infections. This hypothesis is quite common in scientific circles, but according to Astghik Ghazaryan, the transmission of coronavirus from bats to humans is a rare phenomenon, moreover, according to her, there are no confirmed cases of transmission of coronavirus directly from bats to humans. Meanwhile, the spread of the virus caused fear of bats and people began to ruthlessly destroy these animals.

Astghik Ghazaryan is the only representative from Armenia in the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS). During the EUROBATS online discussions during the pandemic, the reaction and attitude of the population towards the pandemic, especially bats, is presented in this or that country.

In the animal kingdom, bats are represented by two large groups: mega and micro. There are species of micro-bats in Armenia that emit ultrasound during movement. As for megacids, they have well-developed eyesight and feed on various tropical fruits and nectar. Here, bats are also carriers of the infection. Scientists believe that  snakes, pangolins ate these bats, which had mutated in their bodies, and the resulting virus was transmitted to humans.

In a conversation with WomenNet.am, the scientist mentioned that as a result of his research she is trying to find out whether bats common in Armenia have a coronavirus infection, in addition to studying the presence of other types of viruses.

International Bat Night is one of Astghik Ghazaryan’s most important programs, which aims to introduce bats, their endangered species in Armenia, to inform them about their usefulness in nature, as well as to participate in wildlife conservation activities.

According to Astghik Ghazaryan, the program will be regular, as such events help people preserve Armenia’s rich, but at the same time endangered wildlife.

Astghik Ghazaryan assured that the research of bats, independent of the coronavirus, will continue, that the restrictions will not hinder the field work, as it is necessary to continue the research to find out the immune system and ecological features of bats living in Armenia.

Full text in Armenian