Why are horses immune to ebolavirus?

[Carbonerd]

Today I read that horses are immune to ebola. I wonder what makes them resistant?

 

It was stated in a book Ebola. The natural and human history of a deadly virus.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Carbonerd

[Xalatan]

Dunno about Ebola but for influenza A, the the haemagglutinin and neurominidase antigens influence species tropism. Perhaps some surface proteins also govern Ebola behaviour by the host proteins they interact with.

[John Cuthber]

For the same reason that people don't get distemper or cat-flu.

Most viral diseases are pretty specific.

[CharonY]

Precisely. The inverse question is typically more meaningful. I.e. what hosts a virus has.