We are The Gator Nation, a diverse community dedicated to excellence in education and research and shaping a better future for Florida, the nation and the world. Our mission is to enable our students to lead and influence the next generation and beyond for economic, cultural and societal benefit.

University of Florida

New Row

Contact expert @[Full Name](fullname), @[Job Title](job_title) at @[Organization](organization) for media, speaking, professional opportunities and more.

@[Full Name](fullname) at @[Organization](organization) | Contact Form

Expert Inquiry

Open Sans

Genome Sequence of a Yunnan Orbivirus Isolated from a Dead Florida White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Organochlorine Pesticide Dieldrin Suppresses Cellular Interferon-related Antiviral Gene Expression

Performance of SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test compared with real-time RT-PCR in asymptomatic individuals

Orthobunyaviruses in the Caribbean: Melao and Oropouche virus infections in school children in Haiti in 2014

Integration of sample preparation with RNA-Amplification in a hand-held device for airborne virus detection

John Lednicky has training and experience in microbiology and molecular biology, various bacteria, fungi and viruses, including influenza and coronaviruses. Research in his aerobiology laboratory includes studies on the mechanisms of respiratory pathogens, assessments of inhalation threats posed by airborne pathogens, vaccine efficacy/safety studies, and the refinement of air-sampling technologies for the detection of airborne pathogens. Recent research includes finding that the Zika virus was present in Haiti several months before the first Zika cases were identified in Brazil, and the discovery of a case of Mayaro virus in a patient in Haiti, the first time the mosquito-borne virus has been detected outside of the Amazon. Since January 2020, a major thrust of his work has been work related to COVID-19, including studying airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV2 virus.

Airborne Transmission

Zoonotic Diseases

West Nile Virus

Infectious Disease

Airborne Disease

Global Health

Avian Influenza

Mayaro

Zika

COVID-19

English

UF Emerging Pathogens Institute Profile

UF Department of Environmental & Global Health Profile

The Conversation Profile

Google Scholar Citation

Coronavirus Consultant

Coronavirus Myth-busting; local expert weighs in on COVID-19

An interest in bat viruses led to UF Health virologist’s development of coronavirus test

Coronavirus hit Florida earlier than we thought — on a door handle at UF

CDC says surface contact is low cause of COVID-19 spread, updates guidance

scientists-cat-again-helps-discover-new-virus

Research Professor

 Pepper, the pet cat who made headlines last year for his role in the discovery of the first jeilongvirus found in the U.S., is at it again. This time, his hunting prowess contributed to the identification of a new strain of orthoreovirus.

John Lednicky, Ph.D., Pepper’s owner and a University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions virologist, took Pepper’s catch — a dead Everglades short-tailed shrew — into the lab for testing as part of his ongoing work to understand transmission of the mule deerpox virus.

Testing revealed the shrew had a previously unidentified strain of orthoreovirus. Viruses in this genus are known to infect humans, white-tailed deer, bats and other mammals. While orthoreoviruses’ effects on humans are not yet well understood, there have been rare reports of the virus being associated with cases of encephalitis, meningitis and gastroenteritis in children.

“The bottom line is we need to pay attention to orthoreoviruses, and know how to rapidly detect them,” said Lednicky, a research professor in the PHHP Department of Environmental and Global Health and a member of UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute.  The UF team published the complete genomic coding sequences for the virus they named “Gainesville shrew mammalian orthoreovirus type 3 strain UF-1” in the journal Microbiology Resource Announcements.

 “There are many different mammalian orthoreoviruses and not enough is known about this recently identified virus to be concerned,” said the paper’s lead author Emily DeRuyter, a UF Ph.D. candidate in One Health. “Mammalian orthoreoviruses were originally considered to be ‘orphan’ viruses, present in mammals including humans, but not associated with diseases. More recently, they have been implicated in respiratory, central nervous system and gastrointestinal diseases.” The Lednicky lab’s jeilongvirus and orthoreovirus discoveries come on the heels of the team publishing their discovery of two other novel viruses found in farmed white-tailed deer. Given the propensity of viruses to constantly evolve, paired with the team’s sophisticated lab techniques, finding new viruses isn’t entirely surprising, Lednicky said.
 “I’m not the first one to say this, but essentially, if you look, you’ll find, and that’s why we keep finding all these new viruses,” Lednicky said.  Like influenza virus, two different types of orthoreovirus can infect a host cell, causing the viruses’ genes to mix and match, in essence, creating a brand new virus, Lednicky said.

In 2019, Lednicky and colleagues isolated the first orthoreovirus found in a deer. That strain’s genes were nearly identical to an orthoreovirus found in farmed mink in China and a deathly ill lion in Japan. How in the world, the scientific community wondered, could the same hybrid virus appear in a farmed deer in Florida and two species of carnivores across the globe? Some experts speculated that components of the animals’ feed could have come from the same manufacturer.

With so many unanswered questions about orthoreoviruses and their modes of transmission, prevalence in human and animal hosts and just how sick they could make us, more research is needed, DeRuyter and Lednicky said.

Next steps would include serology and immunology studies to understand the threat Gainesville shrew mammalian orthoreovirus type 3 strain UF-1 may hold for humans, wildlife and pets.

For readers concerned about Pepper’s health, rest assured. He has shown no signs of illness from his outdoor adventures and will likely continue to contribute to scientific discovery through specimen collection.
  
“This was an opportunistic study,” Lednicky said. “If you come across a dead animal, why not test it instead of just burying it? There is a lot of information that can be gained.” 

Scientist’s cat, again, helps discover new virus

The UF College of Public Health and Health Professions’ department of environmental and global health and the UF Emerging Pathogens Institute are leading a joint, around-the-clock effort to better understand and track the coronavirus in health care and community settings. The effort involves numerous scientists, laboratory technicians and support staff working tirelessly behind the scenes as UF Health and local and state health officials move to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

That work is spearheaded by Lednicky, a member of the college’s department of environmental and global health and the Emerging Pathogens Institute, and Glenn Morris, M.D., M.P.H., the director of the institute.

Test created by UF scientist Dr. John Lednicky is being used at UF Health and throughout the city.

UF researcher created test that’s being used to find hidden COVID-19 patients

Media Inquiry