They aren't claiming IBD is new. If I am reading this correctly, they have just been able to fully identify a virus that they believe causes it. They didn't use a 'test' to determine if a snake is IBD positive or not, they tracked down a virus on a genetic level or something. Frankly, I find the article terribly fascinating. I'm going to read up on this as they gather new info.
The article says there's no test, and no treatment. The virus itself is new to science, not the disease. "The discovery of the virus may lead to a fast diagnostic test for IBD, which would allow institutions to identify and kill any infected snakes before they pass on the disease." They haven't even proved the virus they think is IBD actually causes IBD, it's just likely. I know very little about viruses, but the genetics work sounds legit and the journal appears to be a peer-reviewed one, though I haven't found the paper itself to check out. UCSF, where the work was done, has a great reputation as well
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The bad news is that it looks like the virus is in a class that often jumps species (though it hasn't) which could scare people...
That's my big fear -- that the media will lean on the virus as being a potential danger to humans, when it hasn't shown any signs of jumping. There are many zoonotic diseases that are a real concern. I hope media hype doesn't drive people into a panic over nothing, at the cost of research into other, higher-risk diseases. Or, worse, at the cost of household pets who will surely get dumped for fear of "infection."
Still, as others have said, this is interesting, and I look forward to seeing where the research leads.
We've been watching it with interest, since we suspect one of the rescue snakes at the wildlife center may have IBD. The part that I'm relieved to see is that, while it *may* jump species within snakes (boadae to pythonadae for example) it's unlikely to infect humans. A major concern for us is proper quarantine and clean up procedures in the event of bites; it's nice to have one to check off the list of potential infections.
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That's my big fear -- that the media will lean on the virus as being a potential danger to humans, when it hasn't shown any signs of jumping. There are many zoonotic diseases that are a real concern. I hope media hype doesn't drive people into a panic over nothing, at the cost of research into other, higher-risk diseases. Or, worse, at the cost of household pets who will surely get dumped for fear of "infection."
Still, as others have said, this is interesting, and I look forward to seeing where the research leads.
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