Macaques are pickier eaters after outbreaks
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This week, we learn that macaques avoid suspect foods after disease outbreaks, meet the cable bacterium that can produce metal-organic frameworks and investigate new treatments for chronic acne.
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Macaques avoid dodgy food after outbreaks
Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) that have lived through an outbreak of infectious disease seem to become wary of food that appears contaminated, even if the disease wasn’t foodborne. Researchers found that macaques that hadn’t been sick themselves were even more reluctant to try possibly contaminated food than were those that had, which suggests that the monkeys will intentionally change their behaviour to avoid becoming ill. The team suggests that the findings hint at the evolutionary origins of the feeling of disgust in people.
‘Cable bacteria’ make their own MOFs
For the first time, researchers have discovered living creatures that make their own metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with exceptional conductivity. Chemists Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year for their work on synthetic MOFs. Candidatus Electrothrix gigas is relatively huge — up to 8 µm long — and appears to produce centimetre-long filaments of a nickel-based MOF that help it to access energy and electron sources in the sediment of the seafloor.
Virus surveillance
News
What we know about Shamonda virus
The first human death has been attributed to a newly discovered type of orthobunyavirus that has been making cows ill in Europe. The man, who was in his 60s and lived in rural France, had a severely weakened immune system because of blood cancer. The virus, Shamonda virus Europe 1 (SHAV-EU1), was detected in Europe for the first time in July in cattle — around the same time that the man is thought to have been infected. Little is known about the virus or how it affects the body, but experts say that the risk of infections passing between people is low.
Feature
Rabies might be back in the US
An uptick in cases of rabies in animals across several US states has researchers concerned that people in these areas might be at risk of spillovers. No human cases of the disease have been reported in the United States this year so far. But there has been a year-on-year increase in medical interventions, such as antibody treatments, for suspected exposures. Scientists have also estimated that some rabies deaths fly under the radar, which could skew health officials’ understanding of where and how the disease is spreading.
Feature
It takes a village to identify viral threats
Advancements in Africa’s genomic surveillance capabilities are enabling scientists to detect a host of unfamiliar viruses in wildlife. But a sequence alone can’t tell them whether a virus is a threat, which makes it difficult to discern which new discoveries warrant further investigation. Collaboration is the key, says virologist Marietjie Ventner. If medical professionals, veterinary specialists and laboratory scientists can study both animal and human diseases as a collective, the pooled evidence could enable the easier and faster identification of novel threats, she says.
Features and opinion
Put mycotoxins in food-safety spotlight
The contamination of foods with mycotoxins — toxic compounds produced by fungi — disproportionately affects people in Africa. But mycotoxins are rarely discussed as a food-safety issue, which reflects a structural inequality across world food systems, argues a group of food-security researchers. Governments and researchers must work together to raise awareness of the dangers of mycotoxins, and develop measures to prevent and detect contamination. “The question is no longer whether action is needed, but whether it will come in time to protect the most vulnerable,” the group writes.
The new era of acne treatments
Researchers are zeroing in on the interactions between the immune system and skin bacteria to develop new treatments for acne. These therapies involve vaccinating against molecules produced by Cutibacterium acnes, the bacterium that causes acne. One targets CAMP, a toxin that can cause stress responses in skin cells. Others focus on a type of hyaluronidase, an enzyme that can cause inflammation. In mice, both approaches appear to at least ease the symptoms of the condition, which has scientists optimistic that their benefits could translate to people.
Infographic of the week
Quote of the week
Physician Ashish Jha, who served as the White House COVID-19 response coordinator from 2022 to 2023, remembers health reporter Helen Branswell. Branswell, whose work regularly featured in this newsletter, has died aged 69. (The New York Times | 5 min read)
With Halloween approaching, I’m considering carving a pumpkin. My dilemma is usually deciding what to etch onto my gourd, but this year I can take inspiration from the US National Park Service. The agency has released a set of nature-inspired templates for anyone hoping to carve something more than just a scary face.
Let me know which template tickles your fancy, along with any feedback you have on this newsletter, at [email protected].
Thanks for reading,
Jacob Smith, associate editor, Nature Briefing
With contributions by Flora Graham
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