It probably does not affect us - but who knows?
New Smallpox-Related Virus Found Lurking in Texas RodentsMay 16, 2018 12:00pm ET
A never-before-seen virus that's a relative of the notorious smallpox
virus has been found lurking in rodents in Texas, according to a new
study.
Researchers discovered the new virus in pygmy mice in east-central
Texas. A genetic analysis revealed that the virus was a type of
poxvirus, a diverse family of viruses that includes the https://www.livescience.com/46735-could-smallpox-come-back.html" rel="nofollow - smallpox virus .
But the new pathogen was quite different from any of the currently
known poxviruses. Researches dubbed the new virus "Brazospox virus,"
because the infected mice were found at sites near the Brazos River,
which runs through east-central Texas.
It's still unclear whether the new virus can infect people, and right
now, there's no need for the public to worry, said senior study author
Dr. Sarah Hamer, an associate professor and director of the Schubot
Avian Health Center at Texas A&M University's Department of
Veterinary Integrative Biosciences.
However, "this is yet another example of a potentially emerging virus
in wildlife with unknown ability to be transmitted to humans and unknown
impact on human health," Hamer told Live Science. "Certainly, there are
related poxviruses that can be devastating for human health," and many
can live in animals. [ https://www.livescience.com/12951-10-infectious-diseases-ebola-plague-influenza.html" rel="nofollow - 10 Deadly Diseases That Hopped Across Species ]
Indeed, although the variola virus, which causes smallpox, was declared eradicated from the world in 1980, https://www.livescience.com/60824-poxviruses-threat.html" rel="nofollow - poxviruses continue to pose a risk
to humans. In particular, there has been a rise in cases of monkeypox,
which is closely related to smallpox, in parts of Africa since the
1980s, and the natural hosts of monkeypox remain unknown, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And in in 2013,
two men in the country of Georgia were found to be infected with a https://www.livescience.com/45314-bioterror-threat-new-smallpox-related-virus-raises-alarms.html" rel="nofollow - newfound poxvirus , which they likely contracted from contact with cattle.
Although there may be a perception of emerging diseases coming from
"global hotspots," such as in Africa and Asia, the new findings are an
example of novel viruses circulating "here in the natural areas 'in our
own backyard,'" Hamer said. "The more we look, the more we will find."
Poxviruses are oval- or brick-shaped viruses with large genomes that
can cause disease in many types of animals, including humans, according
to the CDC. Infections with poxviruses typically cause skin lesions or
rashes. In the pygmy mice in the new study, the virus caused unique skin
lesions on the animals' feet and tails. [ https://www.livescience.com/56598-deadliest-viruses-on-earth.html" rel="nofollow - The 9 Deadliest Viruses on Earth ]
Within their "family tree," poxviruses are divided into two main
"subfamilies" — Chordopoxvirinae and Entomopoxvirinae — and within those
subfamilies, into several dozen genera. For instance, the smallpox
virus belongs to the Chordopoxvirinae subfamily and the genus Orthopoxvirus.
In the new study, the researchers determined that Brazospox virus was
most closely related to Chordopoxvirinae viruses. However, it was
distinct from previously identified poxvirus, and it didn't fit into any
currently recognized genus, the researchers said.
Although the researchers initially suspected that the pygmy mice could
have a poxvirus infection, "we didn't expect that we'd uncover something
novel," Hamer said. But advances in technology have led to more and
more novel viruses being detected in recent years, and "this is one more
example of a wildlife-associated virus that could be new or [could]
have been circulating in nature for some time," Hamer said.
Currently, Hamer and colleagues are working with the CDC to grow the
virus in lab dishes so that researchers can study its ability to infect
human cells. The researchers are also interested in describing the
geographic distribution of animals infected with the virus, Hamer said.
The https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/24/6/17-2057_article" rel="nofollow - study is published online in the June issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. Source and photos: https://www.livescience.com/62585-new-smallpox-related-virus-texas.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.livescience.com/62585-new-smallpox-related-virus-texas.html
------------- How do you tell if a politician is lying? His lips or pen are moving.
|