In an astonishing twist of fate, Pepper, the savvy feline companion of virologist John Lednicky, has once again transformed a mere cat-and-mouse game into groundbreaking scientific discovery. This time, Pepper's keen hunting skills led to the identification of a new strain of orthoreovirus, a finding that has captivated the attention of researchers.

Last year, Pepper made waves by assisting in the discovery of the first jeilongvirus found in the United States. This year, his latest find—a deceased Everglades short-tailed shrew—was brought to the University of Florida lab for testing as part of Lednicky's ongoing research into the mule deerpox virus.

What followed was nothing short of revelatory. The analysis unveiled a previously unknown strain of orthoreovirus lurking within the shrew, a virus type notorious for its capability to infect humans, white-tailed deer, and even bats. Although the impact on humans remains poorly understood, isolated cases of encephalitis and gastroenteritis linked to orthoreoviruses in children have raised alarm bells.

"The bottom line is we must remain vigilant regarding orthoreoviruses and enhance our detection methods," urges Lednicky, a dedicated research professor at the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions.”},{