A scientist at the University of Florida in the United States, John Lednicky, who owns a black cat named Pepper, recently made an unexpected discovery of a new type of virus with the help of his feline companion. Pepper had caught a dead mouse, leading to the finding of a new virus by the research team. Now, Pepper has once again assisted in identifying another new virus by capturing prey.
According to the University of Florida’s website, Pepper, the cat, belongs to virologist John Lednicky at the university. Pepper, who enjoys outdoor adventures, brought back a dead mouse as a “gift” last year. Lednicky suspected the mouse might carry the deerpox virus and sent it to the university laboratory for testing.
Lednicky and his team found that the mouse did not carry the deerpox virus but instead had a virus known as jeilongvirus, previously found in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. This marked the first discovery of this virus in the United States. The virus infects birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles, occasionally causing severe illness in humans.
Pepper’s “contribution” has garnered international media attention. Once again, the cat has repeated its actions and gained international recognition. This time, it caught a dead Everglades short-tailed shrew, a species native to Florida.
Similarly, Lednicky sent the shrew to the laboratory for examination. It was found to be infected with a previously unidentified strain of orthoreovirus. Known viruses in this genus can infect humans, white-tailed deer, bats, and other mammals.
While the impact of orthoreovirus on humans is not yet clear, there are rare reports linking the virus to encephalitis, meningitis, and gastroenteritis in children.
Lednicky, a professor at the University of Florida’s Department of Environmental and Global Health, emphasized the importance of raising awareness about orthoreoviruses and knowing how to quickly detect them.
Emily DeRuyter, a doctoral student at the university and the lead author of the research, highlighted the diverse range of orthoreoviruses in mammals and the inadequate understanding of this newly discovered virus by people.
She stated, “Initially considered ‘orphan’ viruses in mammals, orthoreoviruses were thought to exist in mammalian bodies, including humans, without causing disease. They have recently been associated with respiratory, central nervous system, and gastrointestinal diseases.”
Lednicky’s team had previously published findings of two other new viruses discovered in captive white-tailed deer before identifying jeilongvirus and orthoreovirus.
Lednicky noted that given the evolving nature of viruses and the team’s advanced laboratory techniques, discovering new viruses is not entirely surprising. “As long as you search diligently, you will find – that’s why we keep uncovering these new viruses.”
As for Pepper’s health, the cat’s outdoor adventures have shown no signs of discomfort, and it is likely to continue contributing to scientific discoveries through specimen collection.
Lednicky remarked, “This is opportunistic research. If you encounter a dead animal, why not test it instead of immediately burying it? This way, a lot of information can be obtained.”
The research findings on orthoreoviruses were published in the journal Microbiology Resource Announcements.