Outbreak panic erupts as deadly eye-bleeding virus 'ground zero' exposed on camera

Source: Daily Mail UK

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Disturbing videos of a breeding ground for one of the world's deadliest viruses may reveal how a future pandemic could leap from animals to humans.

For the first time, cameras in Africa captured a 'dynamic network' of wildlife interacting with thousands of infected bats believed to be carrying the Marburg virus, which is a rare but extremely dangerous disease that belongs to the same family as Ebola.

The new videos revealed at least 14 different types of animals, including leopards, hyenas, monkeys, birds and rats, actively hunting herds of Egyptian fruit bats, a common carrier of Marburg, as they flew out of the entrance to 'Python Cave.'

Over five months, researchers monitored the cave, documenting 261 instances of animals interacting directly with infected bats or entering the cave, as well as at least 400 visits by tourists, students, and local workers. 

They said these recordings, including some showing predators walking off with dead bats in their mouths, provide potential proof of how the virus 'spills over', causing Marburg to mutate from bats to animals and then possibly to people.

Marburg causes a severe illness which leads to symptoms including a high fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea and internal bleeding.

The virus has killed up to 88 percent of those infected during prior outbreaks and makes people's eyes, gums and other parts of the body bleed. That mortality rate is even higher than Ebola, which kills roughly half of those infected.

It spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals, or through contaminated surfaces, which is where the cave in Uganda came into play, revealing the potential 'ground zero' for a dangerous new outbreak. There are no approved vaccines or specific treatments for the virus yet, but supportive care like fluids and pain relief can help patients survive. 

Researcher Bosco Atukwatse and his team from the Kyambura Lion Project in Uganda were initially tracking leopards in Queen Elizabeth National Park when they came across a cave where infected bats were being hunted and eaten by local wildlife. 

From February to June 2025, cameras caught various animals walking up to the mouth of the cave, attacking the fleeing bats, scavenging their remains and eating bat droppings, according to the study published on the preprint server bioRxiv.

Most of the people who were seen at the cave did not wear masks, gloves or other protective gear, and they were in proximity to the bats - seriously increasing the risk of infection.

 'These observations constitute the first ecological confirmation of a dynamic, multispecies exposure network at a known Marburg virus site, and may represent a Rosetta Stone for interpreting the real-time mechanics of zoonotic spillover,' researchers said.

In simpler terms, the team warned that easy-to-reach caves create a hotspot where bats, wild animals, and people all mix closely, making it easier for deadly viruses like Marburg to spread.

The team added that the videos could explain why outbreaks happen and help prevent a future epidemic by teaching people to use safety gear and limit their contact with wildlife.

Bats have been known carriers of serious viruses like Marburg, Ebola, Nipah, Hendra, and rabies without getting sick themselves, acting as natural hosts that allow these germs to survive and potentially spread.