Channeling Galileo
Fart joke alert except I am serious this time
I feel like Galileo tonight. Nobody will take my urgent biomedical questions seriously, due to the common cultural attitudes towards a common phenomenon. I ponder if incorrect assumptions based on primitive research of the last century have blinded current scientists into considering such possibilities. Such assumptions are not Facts, and remain the equivalent in quality to research via Google or Facebook.
My questions are:
Do all viruses succumb to passage through the digestive tract? Do any survive?
Does successful passage through the digestive tract result in a generation of viruses hardened against this caustic environment the next time? Does this increase with generations?
Is there any correlation between the length of the digestive tract and the time spent traversing the digestive tract with the survival of viruses?
Can the caustic environment and seed of traverse of the digestive tract provide a PACE (Phage-assisted Continuous Evolution) -like environment that would promote mutations that may be lethal to humans?
Finally - can mutated or un-mutated yet lethal viruses emerge from the digestive tract via Flatulence?
Cultural attitudes towards flatulence resulting in “Fart Jokes” discourage scientists from considering such research, assuming incorrectly that this will not ever pass the Smell test and stigmatizing their career. We must get over such attitudes and answer these questions as soon as possible, considering our current Pandemic. Investigations could reveal the source of rapid-fire emergence of novel Coronavirus and other viruses, as well as explain the relatively slower but steady emergence of additional variants. Mitigation strategies such as dietary adjustments and other possible strategies may emerge amongst the human populations to inhibit the spread of deadly diseases.
I know exactly who to ask about this. She works as a biomedical researcher at the CDC, which might shield her from stigma should she take such research on. If indeed evolution of newer and deadlier viruses is significantly enhanced by these processes, then we mist arm ourselves with these facts, instead of dismissal. While such research may merit only an IgNobel Award, it could also certainly deserve the latter! Until these questions have been answered we really do not know, a situation that may result in further loss of life and misery, compared to the degree caused by refusing vaccines.
The summary dismissal of this idea felt similar to when my friend Bill Bulick, a flute player and owner of Artichoke Music in Portland declared that I would be lucky to sell any more than 40 or so flutes in my lifetime. I think he was a little off on his predictions.
<<Followup>> Yes, Covid does survive the gut and is found alive and kicking in the Feces. PACE can happen with Viruses.
Also, a new more virulent Delta strain is being found in England after some 50,000 attended an outdoor festival. Mostly people in their 20s and 30s. Southern Oregon Residents (well, the smart ones) are going back into full hunker-down mode. Schools here open on the 1st. Its not over, Folks.
Another friend who works on the front lines and blogs about it frequently is apparently behind me all the way. That is gratifying. The ball is now in the CDC's hands. It will be interesting to see what comes of this.
I am feeling Vindicated by a dear friend and fellow musician who writes "In fact your question about whether if it survives the gut the virus coming out more resilient to such environments is very interesting! Viruses by nature evolve much much quicker than we do, so I think for most lay people, it’s hard for them to understand how quickly change and growth can happen for such small organisms. dismissive it can be because they might not understand enough to realize what is being asked and to not feel dumb, they dismiss it as unimportant or radically out in left field."
She also mentioned that Noroviruses and others do survive the gut. My friend is a biomedical researcher at the CDC.