John Lednicky, Ph.D., is a research professor at the University of Florida’s College of Public Health and Health Professions. With the assistance of Pepper, his ever-inquisitive feline companion, Breslauer recently made a groundbreaking scientific discovery. For Lednicky, a virologist revered for his research on emerging pathogens, a curveball was in store. Student Pepper, his research companion, found a deceased Everglades short-tailed shrew. The team worked quickly to get the positive specimen into the lab for retesting and confirmation. This bold move resulted in catching a new strain of virus.
Lednicky continues to study this virus to deepen his knowledge of the mule deerpox virus. Through his work, he’s highlighting how transmission occurs and addressing other emerging threats. His current affiliation with the UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute foreshadows his devotion to the field. Only this time, his expertise was key to a major discovery. Apart from Pepper’s inspiring hunting instinct, it would be her most valuable asset.
Emily DeRuyter is a One Health Ph.D. candidate at the University of Florida. As the lead author on a recent paper on orthoreoviruses, she worked closely with Lednicky and recently spoke with us about her experience. These results revealed that the strain of the virus isolated from the Gainesville shrew – mammalian orthoreovirus type 3 strain UF-1 – has genes that were surprisingly close in sequence to an orthoreovirus floating around in farmed mink in China. Moreover, it is highly related to yet another strain found in a very sick lion in Japan.
This find isn’t Lednicky’s first major discovery with Pepper’s help. It was his lab that first discovered a jeilongvirus. They published their research discovery on two novel viruses identified in farmed white-tailed deer. In his comments on this new strain of virus, Lednicky later compared the mixing orthoreovirus genes to the way that influenza viruses sometimes act. In doing so, he acknowledged the power of harnessing genetic variation and its transformative potential for public health.
These studies are just the beginning, though. Lednicky’s team hopes to perform serology and immunology studies. Through these exploratory studies, we aim to describe the dangers presented by Gainesville shrew mammalian orthoreovirus type 3 strain UF-1. Importantly, they will investigate its potential impact on wildlife and human health.