UF Scientists Discover First Jeilongvirus in the U.S., Thanks to a Cat

On a warm May day, an all-black domestic shorthair cat named Pepper entered his Gainesville, Florida, home and dropped a dead mouse on the carpet at his owner’s feet.

There wasn’t anything particularly unusual about Pepper’s behavior; he’s a skilled hunter who regularly leaves “gifts” for his humans. But Pepper’s owner had a different response than most of us. He’s John Lednicky, Ph.D., an expert in viruses and their transmission, including across species. Suspecting that mice may carry mule deerpox, Lednicky scooped up Pepper’s trophy and took it to his University of Florida lab for testing.