The origin of the Ebola virus is not known, but based on the available evidence, the fruit bat is considered the natural reservoir of the pathogen.
Fruit bats, better known as flying foxes, are large bats that inhabit river forests . At least three species of healthy virus-carrying bats are known (Ebola does not cause any symptoms in this animal): the hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus), the fruit bat from Franquet's epaulettes (Epomops franqueti) and the fruit bat from the collar (Myonycteris torquata).
But how did the infection pass from animals to humans? For the people of Africa, veterans of civil war years, bats are a source of nourishment. Not only. Western and Chinese companies entering the jungle for deforestation and the search for minerals have increased the practice of bush-meat, that is, the trade and consumption of meat derived from wild animals. Men, therefore, eating antelopes or chimpanzees infected by bats ( intermediate hosts ), can contract the Ebola virus and spread the infection.
