Ebola "patient zero" may have been infected with the virus while playing with bats in a hollow tree in his village in Guinea, like the one seen at far left in this photo. EMBO Molecular Medicine

Where and how did the deadly Ebola outbreak begin? The disease that's killed more than 7,800 people across West Africa may have taken hold after a chance encounter last winter between a 2-year-old boy and wild bat in a hollowed-out tree.

New research published Tuesday in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine provides an almost cinematic theory about the origins of the current Ebola outbreak, and also offers new evidence that a certain type of bat may play host to the deadly virus.

The study traces the activities of Ebola "patient zero," a 2-year-old boy in Mliandou, Guinea, who's believed to have been the virus' first victim in December 2013.

The researchers visited the village and neighboring areas, and learned from the residents that children liked to play in a hollow tree that was home to insect-eating free-tailed bats (Mops condylurus). These large fruit bats migrate annually to southeastern Guinea to the region of Klma, where Mliandou is located.

Previously, experts suspected that bush meat hunted and consumed by villagers might be the source of transmission. But the researchers say the child's father was not a hunter, and they did not find evidence that larger mammals were associated with the spread of the virus.

"In contrast, bat hunting was commonly described in the region," the researchers write. "Men of Meliandou and six other neighboring villages reported opportunistically hunting fruit bats throughout the year. Insectivorous bats were reported to be commonly found under the roofs of houses and similar hides in the villages. These bats are reportedly targeted by children, who regularly hunt and grill them over small fires."

Top, the village of Meliandou in Guinea, where a 2-year-old boy -- Ebola "patient zero" -- contracted the virus and died. Images below are of a hollow tree, a popular place where village children play. These trees frequently harbor insect-biting bats.

EMBO Molecular Medicine

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Encounter with bat may have sparked Ebola outbreak