Pepper the Cat Viral Superstar Strikes Again!

Pepper the Cat Strikes Again: Helping Scientists Discover a New Virus

Our feline friends never cease to amaze us! Pepper, the celebrated cat who made headlines last year for his part in the discovery of the first jeilongvirus in the U.S., has done it again. This time, his hunting instincts have led to the identification of a novel strain of orthoreovirus.

John Lednicky, Ph.D., Pepper's owner and a virologist at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, collected Pepper's latest "gift" – a dead Everglades short-tailed shrew – for lab testing. This was part of Lednicky's ongoing research to understand the transmission of the mule deerpox virus. Little did he know, this shrew held a scientific surprise.

The tests revealed that the shrew carried a previously unidentified strain of orthoreovirus. These viruses are known to infect a variety of mammals, including humans, white-tailed deer, and bats. While the precise effects of orthoreoviruses on humans are still under investigation, rare cases have linked them to:

• Encephalitis
• Meningitis
• Gastroenteritis (particularly in children)

“The bottom line is we need to pay attention to orthoreoviruses, and know how to rapidly detect them," emphasizes Lednicky, a research professor in the PHHP Department of Environmental and Global Health and a member of UF's Emerging Pathogens Institute.

The University of Florida research team has published the complete genomic coding sequences for the virus, which they've named "Gainesville shrew mammalian orthoreovirus type 3 strain UF-1," in the journal Microbiology Resource Announcements.

“There are many different mammalian orthoreoviruses, and not enough is known about this recently identified virus to be concerned,” explains Emily DeRuyter, the paper's lead author and a UF Ph.D. candidate in One Health. “Mammalian orthoreoviruses were originally considered to be 'orphan' viruses, present in mammals including humans, but not associated with diseases. More recently, they have been implicated in respiratory, central nervous system and gastrointestinal diseases.”

These discoveries by the Lednicky lab, including the jeilongvirus and now the orthoreovirus, follow closely on the heels of their identification of two other novel viruses in farmed white-tailed deer. Given the rapid rate at which viruses evolve, and combined with the team's advanced laboratory techniques, finding new viruses is almost inevitable. As Lednicky puts it, “I'm not the first one to say this, but essentially, if you look, you'll find, and that's why we keep finding all these new viruses.”

Like the influenza virus, orthoreoviruses can undergo genetic mixing when two different types infect the same host cell, leading to the creation of entirely new viruses. This process highlights the importance of ongoing surveillance and research.

Interestingly, in 2019, Lednicky and his colleagues isolated the first orthoreovirus found in a deer. The genes of this strain were strikingly similar to those of an orthoreovirus found in farmed mink in China and a critically ill lion in Japan. This raised significant questions about how the same hybrid virus could emerge in such geographically diverse species. Some experts have speculated that contaminated animal feed sourced from the same manufacturer could be the link.

With many unanswered questions surrounding orthoreoviruses – their transmission methods, prevalence in different hosts, and potential to cause illness – further research is crucial. Next steps include serology and immunology studies to better understand the potential threat posed by Gainesville shrew mammalian orthoreovirus type 3 strain UF-1 to humans, wildlife, and even our beloved pets.

And for those concerned about Pepper's well-being, rest assured! He remains perfectly healthy and shows no ill effects from his outdoor adventures. He's likely to continue his invaluable contributions to scientific discovery through his unique "specimen collection" efforts.

"This was an opportunistic study," Lednicky concluded. "If you come across a dead animal, why not test it instead of just burying it? There is a lot of information that can be gained."

More information: Emily DeRuyter et al, Coding complete sequences of the 10 genomic segments of a mammalian orthoreovirus type 3 isolated from a Blarina peninsulae shrew, Microbiology Resource Announcements (2025). DOI: 10.1128/mra.00219-25

It's truly remarkable how even our pets can play a role in advancing scientific understanding and protecting public health. Pepper's story serves as a reminder that important discoveries can sometimes come from the most unexpected places – or, in this case, the most unexpected hunters!

Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-07-scientist-cat-virus.html