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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 15

I can say that having been working on this for a while, my cats have insurance in place specifically chosen to cover that cost just in case.
There are several international groups working on prevention and treatment for FCoV-23, so hopefully they should have solid data to share in the near future.

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 15

GS-441524 is the recommended treatment and has been used successfully in cases of FCoV-23. Unfortunately it is not available for veterinary use in every country, and is expensive. Molnupiravir was used during the outbreak in Cyprus as there were COVID stocks the government allowed use of.

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 11

Also, my black cat says hi to your black cat.

Black cat draped elegantly over a beanbag foot stool

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 11

I borrowed that tree as I'm on my phone and it was easier than finding my own! The source of that tree is this chapter, which may be of interest. But simply put, they're quite different. www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immun...

Alphacoronavirus 1 - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

www.sciencedirect.com

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 11

While this is about a coronavirus, it's not about that coronavirus. They're not very closely related, and while we did see cases of cats catching SARS-CoV-2, it isn't going to give your cat deadly FIP. Most cats that catch SARS-CoV-2 have very mild or no respiratory symptoms.

A phylogenetic tree showing alphacoronavirus-1 circled in red, and SARS-CoV-2 circled in blue, at opposite ends of the tree.

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Reposted by Amanda Warr

Stefan Poehlmann @snpoehlm.bsky.social · Jul 11

Important insights into FCoV-23 cell entry from the @veeslerlab.bsky.social

Freely available: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Loss of FCoV-23 spike domain 0 enhances fusogenicity and entry kinetics - Nature

The molecular mechanisms of cell entry for the recently identified highly pathogenic feline coronavirus FCoV-23 are characterized in detail.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Amanda Warr

Scott McGrath @smcgrath.phd · Jul 11

Grok 4 appears to consult Elon Musk's X posts and news about him when addressing controversial subjects like immigration or the Israel-Palestine conflict. This design choice, aiming to align with Musk's views, raises questions about Grok's stated goal of being a "maximally truth-seeking AI."
#MLSky

Grok 4 seems to consult Elon Musk to answer controversial questions | TechCrunch

Elon Musk's newly launched AI chatbot, Grok 4, seemed to reference Musk's posts on social media before answering controversial questions.

techcrunch.com

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 11

I've once again failed to tag appropriately for the various sciency bluesky feeds. 🧪🧬🖥️ #ViroSky #VirEvol

Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 9

I am paw-sitively thrilled to say that out latest work is out in Nature today!

#Virology #Genomics #Coronavirus #AnimalHealth #InfectiousDisease #Sequencing #FIP #FCoV23

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Feline infectious peritonitis epizootic caused by a recombinant coronavirus - Nature

Nature - Feline infectious peritonitis epizootic caused by a recombinant coronavirus

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Amanda Warr

Flo Débarre @flodebarre.bsky.social · Jul 10

A lab is not required to generate chimeric coronaviruses, with a spike of a different virus: they can emerge naturally ▫️1/2

(from newly published paper by Attipa & @amandatron89.bsky.social et al.; preprinted in 2023)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

screenshot of a figure from the article, showing the chimeric composition of FCoV-23, with FCoV-1 backbone and spike from CCoVII

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 10

Also interesting that the deletion between TGEV and PRCV tracks so closely with the FCoV-23 deletion!

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Reposted by Amanda Warr

The Roslin Institute @roslininstitute.bsky.social · Jul 10

A hybrid coronavirus, formed of cat and dog coronaviruses, caused a severe outbreak of disease among cats in Cyprus, researchers found.

Their work, in Nature, showed how this new virus was able to cause widespread cases of Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) among the island’s cats.

Coronavirus causes fatal disease outbreak in cats | The Roslin Institute | The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

A harmful strain of coronavirus has caused a fast-spreading outbreak of a harmful feline disease.

edin.ac

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 10

We know it has come up in other European countries, but overall testing rates are low. We are working on some easy diagnostics. So far we've not had reports of any massive die-offs in feral populations so that is a good sign, but it is possible it just hasn't met a good cat dense environment yet.

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 10

So there have been more confirmed UK cases, so far all imports, but there may be some local spread that we don't know of. It's difficult to know when essentially the same disease already exists in the country from "normal" FCoVs, we only tend to hear about the imports.

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Reposted by Amanda Warr

Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 9

For more on the domain 0 deletion in the spike gene, see another paper, also out today in Nature, looking at how the deletion enhances fusogenicity and entry kinetics.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Loss of FCoV-23 spike domain 0 enhances fusogenicity and entry kinetics - Nature

The molecular mechanisms of cell entry for the recently identified highly pathogenic feline coronavirus FCoV-23 are characterized in detail.

www.nature.com

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 9

For more on the domain 0 deletion in the spike gene, see another paper, also out today in Nature, looking at how the deletion enhances fusogenicity and entry kinetics.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Loss of FCoV-23 spike domain 0 enhances fusogenicity and entry kinetics - Nature

The molecular mechanisms of cell entry for the recently identified highly pathogenic feline coronavirus FCoV-23 are characterized in detail.

www.nature.com

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 9

*our

I'm so not redoing the whole thread for one typo though 😅

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 9

As a side note, Nature including "Thank you for choosing to publish your work with us." In an acceptance email is wild. I'm not convinced we were the ones doing the choosing, but you're welcome?

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 9

Our fur raising findings pose important questions about this novel virus and its potential impact on cat populations, especially in areas with high numbers of feral cats. Better understanding of the virus is important for developing effective treatment and prevention strategies.

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 9

We also identified a host-specific deletion in the spike gene which may play a role in its virulence.

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 9

This new recombinant’s genome is primarily feline coronavirus I (FCoV-I), but the spike gene originates from a pantropic canine coronavirus II (pCCoV-II). It is unclear if the virus does not need to do an in-host switch to cause FIP, or if it is simply more likely to occur.

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 9

Typically, feline coronavirus causes no symptoms, most cats get it at some point without anyone noticing. However, occasionally in an unlucky cat an in-host mutation can trigger FIP, a disease that is fatal without costly antivirals. Large outbreaks are rare since FIP usually doesn't spread.

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 9

Following an outbreak of Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) in Cyprus, we sequenced samples from infected cats using @nanoporetech.com sequencing and discovered a novel recombinant between feline and canine coronaviruses, FCoV-23.

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 9

I am paw-sitively thrilled to say that out latest work is out in Nature today!

#Virology #Genomics #Coronavirus #AnimalHealth #InfectiousDisease #Sequencing #FIP #FCoV23

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Feline infectious peritonitis epizootic caused by a recombinant coronavirus - Nature

Nature - Feline infectious peritonitis epizootic caused by a recombinant coronavirus

www.nature.com

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Amanda Warr @amandatron89.bsky.social · Jul 8

Me waiting for my extension request to be granted

a man is carrying a large rock on his shoulders .

ALT: a man is carrying a large rock on his shoulders .

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Amanda Warr

Ruth Ann Crystal @drruth.bsky.social · Jun 29

Wow! Scientists engineered E. coli to convert plastic waste (PET) into pain medicine paracetamol (acetaminophen or Tylenol) in under 24 hours with up to 92% yield.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

#medsky #pharmsky 🧪

Everyday painkiller made from plastic — by E. coli

Study highlights potential for sustainable synthesis of paracetamol.

www.nature.com

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