12 ms·
Isn't there a risk of introducing new zoonotic diseases?
by dvh 4y ago
Isn't there a risk of introducing new zoonotic diseases?
- labtheory 4y ago[flagged]
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- londons_explore 4y agoYes - the risk is substantially higher because blood flow will allow a virus to move from one tissue type to the other very efficiently repeatedly, and immune response is reduced but not eliminated allowing rapid adaption. As a society we need to think about the ethics implications of using this technique to save some lives while dramatically increasing the risk of zoonotic viruses which will impact many others.
- rwmj 4y agoVery much - hence why the pig is "raised in conditions that should limit pathogen exposure" and the multiple virus tests on both the heart and the patient before and after the transplant. And even then they missed one pig virus.
- Metacelsus 4y ago>raised in conditions that should limit pathogen exposure Except the pig still got porcine CMV from somewhere.
- ceejayoz 4y agoMaybe. > the researchers indicate there's some question about whether the tests that picked it up might have been recognizing a closely related human virus
- mlyle 4y agoMaybe > The presence of an apparent pig cytomegalovirus was worrying, but the researchers indicate there's some question about whether the tests that picked it up might have been recognizing a closely related human virus—one that's often associated with organ transplant problems.