On Oct. 29, 2024, University of Florida scientist John Lednicky, Ph.D., an expert in viruses, working with colleagues, announced they had discovered the first jeilongvirus in the United States. The virus was named Gainesville rodent jeilong virus 1 by the team. Jeilongvirus comes from a family of viruses that infect mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish, and can occasionally cause serious illness in humans.

The discovery was possible thanks to Dr. Lednicky’s cat Pepper, which brought home a a dead mouse, which once tested revealed that it harbored a jeilongvirus, previously found in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. Pepper developed no symptoms from his exposure to the virus-carrying mouse.

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