Ten different animal species feast on bats in a Ugandan cave offering clues to how deadly viruses spread

Serious stuff!

"When researchers in Uganda set up camera traps to monitor African leopards (Panthera pardus pardus) and spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in a national park last year, they had no idea that they would record so much more than just those animals. Several of the traps, placed outside a cave known to host Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus), caught on video a multitude of creatures feasting on the winged mammals. The bats are known carriers of Marburg virus, which can transfer into humans and cause a fatal haemorrhagic fever, so the footage offers real-time insight into how disease can spread.

Scientists know that bats can transmit viruses to humans either directly, or through an intermediate animal, from forensic detective work and other studies. The team in Uganda thinks this is the first time that potential intermediate animals have been caught on camera in a known hotspot for Marburg virus, which is in the same family as Ebola virus. ..."

‘Bat feast’ animal videos at African cave offer clues to how deadly viruses spread (partially behind paywall) "Researchers filmed 10 species eating or scavenging bats at known Marburg-virus hotspot — and caught hundreds of humans visiting."

What Happens When a Fly Lands on Your Food?

It leaves nasty footprints! Shit happens! Kill or be killed! Caution: satire!

Caveat: I did not read this article!

What Happens When a Fly Lands on Your Food? | The Scientist "Flies carrying disease-causing microbes will likely contaminate the food they touch, but different factors determine whether the person who eats it will get sick."

Chart of the day

 Good news! Africa and Asia are significantly down.

Source: WHO Global tuberculosis report 2025

Credits: Human Progress weekly newsletter

Large-scale DNA study maps 37,000 years of human disease history

Amazing stuff!

Unfortunately, this article also spreads the most likely false narrative that Covid-19 was spread by zoonosis and not as a human modified virus from a dual use virology institute in China.

"A new study suggests that our ancestors’ close cohabitation with domesticated animals and large-scale migrations played a key role in the spread of infectious diseases.

The team ... recovered ancient DNA from 214 known human pathogens in prehistoric humans from Eurasia.

They found that the earliest evidence of zoonotic diseases – illnesses transmitted from animals to humans, like COVID in recent times – dates back to around 6,500 years ago, with these diseases becoming more widespread approximately 5,000 years ago. ...

The study detected the world’s oldest genetic trace of the plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, in a 5,500-year-old sample. The plague is estimated to have killed between one-quarter and one-half of Europe’s population during the Middle Ages.

In addition, the researchers found traces of many other diseases including:

Malaria (Plasmodium vivax) – 4,200 years ago

Leprosy (Mycobacterium leprae) – 1,400 years ago

Hepatitis B virus – 9,800 years ago

Diphtheria (Corynebacterium diphtheriae) – 11,100 years ago

..."

From the abstract:

"Infectious diseases have had devastating effects on human populations throughout history, but important questions about their origins and past dynamics remain.

To create an archaeogenetic-based spatiotemporal map of human pathogens, we screened shotgun-sequencing data from 1,313 ancient humans covering 37,000 years of Eurasian history. We demonstrate the widespread presence of ancient bacterial, viral and parasite DNA, identifying 5,486 individual hits against 492 species from 136 genera.

Among those hits, 3,384 involve known human pathogens, many of which had not previously been identified in ancient human remains.

Grouping the ancient microbial species according to their likely reservoir and type of transmission, we find that most groups are identified throughout the entire sampling period.

Zoonotic pathogens are only detected from around 6,500 years ago, peaking roughly 5,000 years ago, coinciding with the widespread domestication of livestock.

Our findings provide direct evidence that this lifestyle change resulted in an increased infectious disease burden. They also indicate that the spread of these pathogens increased substantially during subsequent millennia, coinciding with the pastoralist migrations from the Eurasian Steppe."

Large-scale DNA study maps 37,000 years of human disease history | University of Cambridge "Researchers have mapped the spread of infectious diseases in humans across millennia, to reveal how human-animal interactions permanently transformed our health today."

The spatiotemporal distribution of human pathogens in ancient Eurasia (open access)

Fig. 3: Spatiotemporal distribution of selected ancient pathogens.

Measles Cases and Outbreaks, a total of 1,288 confirmed measles cases by CDC. Really!

President Trump urgently needs to improve the lousy health statistics provided by the CDC!

It appears the CDC by habit or ideological motives does not distinguish infected US citizens and foreigners.

The statistics also lacks whether travelers (US nationals or foreigners) or immigrants were the source of the infection!

The CDC mixes unvaccinated and unknown cases! This is gross, inexcusable malpractice! Or worse, deception!

Measles Cases and Outbreaks | Measles (Rubeola) | CDC

Ivory Coast Monkeys eat squirrels and catch monkey pox

More vaccinations are needed! Perhaps, the Smallpox eradication in 1980 was too successful!

"Scientists have identified the fire-footed rope squirrel as a potential mpox reservoir host—a discovery that could help researchers understand cross-species spillover. 

DNA from the squirrel matched virus samples taken from mpox-infected sooty mangabey monkeys during an outbreak in Ivory Coast. Researchers believe the monkeys were infected after eating squirrels with the virus.

Implications: While more research is needed, the findings are “a landmark contribution to understanding mpox dynamics,” said an Africa CDC biologist."

"... In a preprint ... the team ended up pinpointing one particular rodent species: the fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus).

“Exposure to those squirrels is likely responsible for some human mpox outbreaks as well,” ...

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) was first discovered in research monkeys in a laboratory in Copenhagen in 1958—hence its name. (The disease was renamed mpox in 2022 to avoid stigmatizing patients, but the virus is still known as monkeypox virus.) Researchers have long assumed the real reservoirs for the virus in nature are rodents. The number of mpox outbreaks has increased dramatically since its cousin, smallpox, was declared eradicated in 1980. That’s in part because immunization against smallpox ceased and that vaccine also provides protection against mpox. ..."

From the abstract:

"Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV; Orthopoxvirus monkeypox), is on the rise in West and Central Africa. Most outbreaks are short-lived, but MPXV has recently caused larger epidemics driven by sustained human-to-human transmission.

It is widely accepted that mpox outbreaks originate in zoonotic events. African rodents, especially squirrels, are suspected to be involved in MPXV emergence, but no formal link to human or nonhuman primate outbreaks has been established. Here, we describe an outbreak of MPXV in a group of wild sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) in Taï National Park (Côte d’Ivoire).

The outbreak affected one third of the group between January and April 2023, killing four infants. To track its origin, we analysed rodents and wildlife carcasses from the region.

We identified a MPXV-infected fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus), found dead 3 km from the mangabey territory 12 weeks before the outbreak. MPXV genomes from the squirrel and the mangabey were identical.

To establish a potential link between these species, we investigated the diet of these mangabeys. We found one video record of consumption of the same squirrel species in 2014.

In addition, we performed metabarcoding analyses of faecal samples collected from mangabeys in the four months prior to the outbreak, which identified two faecal samples containing the DNA of the fire-footed rope squirrel. One of these samples was also the first positive for MPXV in the mangabey group.

This represents an exceptionally rare case of direct detection of an interspecies transmission event, made possible only by long-term health monitoring. Our findings strongly suggest rope squirrels were the source of the MPXV outbreak in mangabeys. Since squirrels and nonhuman primates are hunted, traded, and consumed by humans in West and Central Africa, exposure to these animals is likely responsible for at least a fraction of human mpox outbreaks."

Global Health NOW: Striking on New Antivenom Potential; April Recap; and Sweltering Conditions in Cambodia’s Sweatshops

How do mpox outbreaks start? Dead baby monkey provides important clue "“Landmark” study fingers fire-footed rope squirrel as a reservoir of fatal disease"

Fire-footed rope squirrels (Funisciurus pyrropus) are a reservoir host of monkeypox virus (Orthopoxvirus monkeypox)

A sooty mangabey mother carries her baby with mpox lesions on its face in Taï National Park.

The U.S. was declared measles-free in 2000. What happened since then?

Food for thought! Was the declaration in 2000 premature and were some measles cases undetected?

Could the increase in measles cases in the US have something to do with the massive illegal immigration under the former 46th President? Just speculating, maybe I am wrong.

However, measles cases also picked up under President Trump's first term.

"As of March 13, 2025, a total of 301 confirmed* measles cases were reported by 15 jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, and Washington." according to CDC

The fleeting miracle of measles elimination | STAT

Source

Measles Vaccine Resistance in the US. Really!

The pro vaccination propaganda is in overdrive, because of a small number of  measles cases in the US.

According to the CDC (updated once per week): "As of February 27, 2025, a total of 164 measles cases were reported by 9 jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Rhode Island, and Texas. ..."

Fact: Measles is very contagious, but not very dangerous. Very few children die of measles. One infection results in a lifelong acquired immunity against measles.

"As measles cases continue to spread in West Texas, many parents with anti-vaccine views still refuse to get their children vaccinated, claiming that the shot’s side effects are more dangerous than the disease itself  ...

And yet silence: Neither Gov. Greg Abbott nor lawmakers from the hardest-hit areas have publicly addressed the outbreak or advocated for vaccinations ..."

Global Health NOW: Obesity Threatens Global Surge by 2050; Girls Denied Surgery in Afghanistan; and Vaccine Resisters Double Down

Marine sponge microbe provides insights into evolution of tuberculosis

Amazing stuff!

"The surprising discovery of a bacterium in a marine sponge from the Great Barrier Reef with striking similarity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the pathogen responsible for tuberculosis (TB), could unlock and inform future TB research and treatment strategies. ...

However, the researchers found that, unlike M. tuberculosis, M. spongiae does not cause disease in mice, making it non-virulent. ..."

From the abstract:

"Reconstructing the evolutionary origins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of human tuberculosis, has helped identify bacterial factors that have led to the tubercle bacillus becoming such a formidable human pathogen. Here we report the discovery and detailed characterization of an exceedingly slow growing mycobacterium that is closely related to M. tuberculosis for which we have proposed the species name Mycobacterium spongiae sp. nov., (strain ID: FSD4b-SM). The bacterium was isolated from a marine sponge, taken from the waters of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia. Comparative genomics revealed that, after the opportunistic human pathogen Mycobacterium decipiens, M. spongiae is the most closely related species to the M. tuberculosis complex reported to date, with 80% shared average nucleotide identity and extensive conservation of key M. tuberculosis virulence factors, including intact ESX secretion systems and associated effectors. Proteomic and lipidomic analyses showed that these conserved systems are functional in FSD4b-SM, but that it also produces cell wall lipids not previously reported in mycobacteria. We investigated the virulence potential of FSD4b-SM in mice and found that, while the bacteria persist in lungs for 56 days after intranasal infection, no overt pathology was detected. The similarities with M. tuberculosis, together with its lack of virulence, motivated us to investigate the potential of FSD4b-SM as a vaccine strain and as a genetic donor of the ESX-1 genetic locus to improve BCG immunogenicity. However, neither of these approaches resulted in superior protection against M. tuberculosis challenge compared to BCG vaccination alone. The discovery of M. spongiae adds to our understanding of the emergence of the M. tuberculosis complex and it will be another useful resource to refine our understanding of the factors that shaped the evolution and pathogenesis of M. tuberculosis."

Marine sponge microbe provides insights into evolution of tb

TB under the sea: A marine sponge microbe provides insights into the evolution of tuberculosis (original news release) "The surprising discovery of a bacterium in a marine sponge from the Great Barrier Reef with striking similarity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the pathogen responsible for tuberculosis (TB), could unlock and inform future TB research and treatment strategies."

Marine sponge microbe provides insights into evolution and virulence of the tubercle bacillus (open access)

Mycobacterium spongiae under microscope

After Hepatitis C Success, Egypt Looks to export its campaign to other countries in Africa

Good news!

"In a turnaround described as “nothing short of astounding,” Egypt—recently home to the world’s highest burden of hepatitis C—has quickly emerged as a global leader in fighting the disease. 

Building on its massive public health campaign that’s on track to be the first country to achieve the WHO goal of eliminating the disease, Egypt is now  launching a “health diplomacy” campaign in Africa. ...

Next, Africa: This year, Egypt is sharing its campaign beyond its borders—“for the greater benefit of humanity,” said Egypt’s health minister.

Ghana will be the first beneficiary, chosen for its investment in national health care.

Egypt is now setting up parallel hepatitis C programs in other countries including Chad and Sudan. ..."

Global Health NOW: Egypt Builds on Hep C Success; Indigenous Communities Reclaim Health; and ‘Thousands of Little Virus Factories’

Mysterious Pneumonia Spreads in China affecting primarily children: Cases Surge with Palki Sharma

Certainly concerning! And again China is not cooperating like during the global Covid-19 pandemic!

Lessons from AIDS crisis guide response to monkeypox outbreak

After the legalization of and equal rights for homosexuality in the second half of the 20th century in many Western countries, were we not supposed to believe that risky or unsafe sexual behavior would become a thing of the past? And that certain types of sex tourism would decline or dwindle?

No reason to panic though, only about 1,000 cases so far worldwide!

"Although the monkeypox strain now in circulation is infinitely milder than HIV — zero fatalities have been reported out of the more than 1,000 cases so far — it is another virus that emerged in sub-Saharan Africa and has popped up outside the continent largely in men who have sex with men. ..."

Lessons from AIDS crisis guide response to monkeypox outbreak - STAT

Why Are Office Door Knobs Not Self-Disinfectant?

Posted: 10/11/2014

Trigger

Recently read “Germs at the Office Are Often Found on Keyboards and at Coffee Stations”. The article is e.g. about a study how fast infectious disease bugs spread around in an office environment.

Some Questions

Why are office door-knobs not self-disinfectant?

Why are office coffee pot handles not self-disinfectant?

Why are office microwave handles not self-disinfectant?

You catch my drift ...

No Government Mandate Please!

I would think, it would be technologically feasible to make such self-disinfectant appliances based on today’s technology. Perhaps silver nanoparticles?