A bizarre chain of events that began in a yoga class led to lemurs being killed by the human version of the herpesvirus. According to a new study in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, researchers at the University of Florida confirmed the first molecularly verified cases of human herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infecting lemurs, and despite every infected animal receiving treatment, they all died.
HSV-1 is more of a nuisance than it is a threat to our existence. For humans at least. Maybe you get an unsightly cold sore. Around two-thirds of people under 50 carry the virus. But we and HSV-1 are more alike than feuding roommates and archrivals. We have our disagreements, but we tolerate each other.
Lemurs, on the other hand, never built up that tolerance. For us, HSV-1 is a cold sore. For them, it’s a death sentence.
4 Lemurs Died After Contracting a Human Herpes Virus
The study took a look at four privately owned lemurs that developed seizures, brain inflammation, and other neurological symptoms before passing away. One of them had been used in a public “lemur yoga” session, where people came in close contact with the creatures, one of whom likely passed on the virus.
When humans interact with animals, we often are so self-centered that we tend to only think about how that dirty wild creature would infect us with its nasty animal germs. We rarely think about how something can jump from us to them. One big reason for the jump could’ve been that the people attending the yoga class were not masked, as veterinary researchers and people who work at accredited zoos often do, as they have to follow strict hygiene and biosecurity protocols.
Mostly to protect the humans but, as this case demonstrates, occasionally protecting the animals from us.
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