Science in Small Bites
Cat Fungus Disease
The fact that some Americans believe the Earth is flat or that Knot’s Landing was real while the moon landing was faked is a cogent argument for science.
Ahead in this article, we’ll start with the bad news, but I assure you the rest is definitely interesting, and the last segment offers hope to those with pancreatic cancer.
If you are a cat owner, I have two words for you: Sporothrix brasiliensis. And here’s what you need to know about it.
Microbiologists are calling it “Somewhat Terrifying,” referring to a skin infection that has killed thousands of cats and infected 11,000 humans to date. This new and aggressive cat disease began in Brazil and has spread to Argentina, Paraguay and Chile.
Recent reports indicate that cases have been found in Uruguay and, more recently, in the U.K. Two related individuals from Brazil moved to Northwest London with a cat that presented with the disease three years after their move. It will likely make its way to the U.S. at some point.
Sporothrix brasiliensis (let’s call it the Cat Fungus and dispense with the Latin) presents in cats as skin ulcers, nodules, swollen lymph glands, and can spread to the lungs, causing respiratory failure. Left untreated, an infected cat will die, and many die even with treatment. There is no test for the disease, but bleach and ethanol do kill the fungus.
The U.S. currently requires only a clean bill of health from a veterinarian to bring a cat into the country, but this is not enough. Cat Fungus can be dormant and undetectable for years. Hopefully, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will tighten their restrictions in the near future.
Humans are also at risk of Cat Fungus, causing painful ulcers. It can be fatal to people who have compromised immune systems.
Talk about a shapeshifter, Cat Fungus is related to Sporothrix schenckii, also known as Rose Grower’s disease. It is dimorphic, meaning it can change from a fungal form (hyphae) to a single-celled yeast whose spores can infect animals, including humans.
The fungal form is in the soil, while the yeast form can be airborne. As Medical mycologist Shawn Lockhart likes to say, “It is a mold in the cold and a yeast in the beast.”
This is an aggressive and resilient disease; let’s hope it doesn’t reach the U.S., where dogs and cats are often considered family.
Neanderthal Dentistry
Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis), a species of hominid related to humans(Homo sapiens), have an undeserved reputation, one promoted by earlier scientists, movies and even advertising.
A long string of Geico commercials in the mid-2000s depicted the Neanderthal as a primitive cave- man, you know, the kind that selects his wife by clubbing her over the head and dragging her to his cave. As for Geico’s estimation of Neanderthal intelligence, “So easy even a caveman can do it, was their slogan. This is no less than slanderous and, most certainly, speciesist, if there is such a word.
We cannot apologize for our condescending air of superiority toward the Neanderthals, since they died out around 40,000 years ago. However, not all is lost, as all non-African humans have anywhere from 1% to 4% Neanderthal DNA; I have approximately 3%, according to 23andMe.
In truth, archaeologists have known for some time that our Neanderthal cousins were not only as intelligent as modern humans but may have exceeded us in Stone Age medicine.
It was in Chagyrskaya Cave in Siberia that archaeologists found evidence of primitive but effective dentistry. Among the many tools and fossils from this cave, which Neanderthals inhabited for thousands of years, the scientists found a 59,000-year-old tooth that appears to have received Paleolithic dental care.
The tooth, a molar, was drilled out to relieve a cavity caused by tooth decay, which is rare in Neanderthals, who had exceptionally strong teeth. Dental archaeologists believe that the individual who performed the procedure used a jasper object held between the thumb and forefinger to clean out the cavity, as evidenced by the microscopic radial grooves on the inside wall of the cavity.
It is presumed that the patient was convinced that the pain from the procedure at hand would be worth the relief afterward. The molar continued to serve the patient for the rest of his life. So, when you think of Neanderthals, consider that they may have been on par with Homo Sapiens in the Paleolithic era; perhaps even more advanced in the field of dentistry.
New Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Patients
Pancreatic cancer is a terrible disease; it is generally undiagnosed until the latter stages, when it has spread outside of the pancreas. And, by then, it is a veritable death sentence.
“Watoga State Park: Queen of the Fleet,” a book about the park, was published late in 2025. The book’s brainchild was John Dean, a Pocahontas County native. John’s father was an employee of Watoga, and John spent his formative years living within the park. John’s love of Watoga never ceased until pancreatic cancer took his life just before publication of the book.
John may have lived longer if he had access to a new drug, daraxonrasib, an oral medication, now being fast-tracked by the FDA for review as a “Breakthrough Therapy.”
First, allow me to state that daraxonrasib is not a cure for pancreatic cancer, but it can double the survival period over chemotherapy. The average survival rate for those taking chemotherapy is approximately 6.6 months, while daraxonrasib’s average is 13.2 months – that is significant to a dying patient.
The following description of how daraxonrasib works to increase patient survival is from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Stanford Medicine, and Pancre- atic Cancer Network.
“Daraxonrasib is a targeted daily pill designed to stop cancer cells from multiplying. It works in a few simple steps: Over 90% of pancreatic cancers are caused by a mutation in the KRAS gene, which acts like a car’s accelerator pedal getting stuck in the “on” position. This constant signal forces cancer cells to grow uncontrollably.
Because this mutated gene’s surface is smooth and hard for standard drugs to attach to, it was long considered “undruggable”. Darax- onrasib uses a unique “molecular glue” mechanism: it binds to a normal cellular protein (cyclophilin A). This combination then attaches to the overactive KRAS protein.’
Once attached, it physically blocks the KRAS protein from sending growth signals to the rest of the cancer cell. Without these signals, the cancer cells stop dividing and can shrink.”
Our country is beginning to lose its scientists through the mindless slashing of so many important research programs. Many scientists are considering moving elsewhere, a “brain drain,” if you will.
Wouldn’t it be great if pancreatic and lung cancer could be cured?
It cannot happen without rigorous scientific research.
Ken Springer
ken1949bongo@gmail.com
Citations are available upon request.
