Deadly virus linked to fruit bat

US and Gabonese scientists say a common type of fruit bat could be the source of an outbreak of the deadly Marburg disease in Africa.

The scientists tested more than 1,000 bats caught in caves in Gabon and DR Congo, and found some members of one species were infected with the virus.

Outbreaks of the Marburg disease have hit sub-Saharan Africa in the past.

Marburg is a contagious disease characterised by sudden bleeding and high fever, often ending in death.