Most viral pathogens in humans have animal origins and arose through cross-species transmission. Over the past 50 years, several viruses, including Ebola virus, Marburg virus, Nipah virus, Hendra virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and SARS-CoV-2, have been linked back to various bat species. Despite decades of research into bats and the pathogens they carry, the fields of bat virus ecology and molecular biology are still nascent, with many questions largely unexplored, thus hindering our ability to anticipate and prepare for the next viral outbreak. In this Review, we discuss the latest advancements and understanding of bat-borne viruses, reflecting on current knowledge gaps and outlining the potential routes for future research as well as for outbreak response and prevention efforts.

人类中的大多数病毒病原体都起源于动物，并通过跨物种传播而产生。在过去的 50 年里，包括埃博拉病毒、马尔堡病毒、尼帕病毒、亨德拉病毒、严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 (SARS-CoV)、中东呼吸道冠状病毒 (MERS-CoV) 和 SARS-CoV-2 在内的几种病毒已经与各种蝙蝠物种有关。尽管对蝙蝠及其携带的病原体进行了数十年的研究，但蝙蝠病毒生态学和分子生物学领域仍处于起步阶段，许多问题在很大程度上尚未探索，从而阻碍了我们预测和准备下一次病毒爆发的能力。在这篇评论中，我们讨论了蝙蝠传播病毒的最新进展和理解，