AI may predict which animal species carry diseases dangerous to people
BETWEEN 1346 and 1353 the Black Death killed over a third of Europe’s population. It took 150 years for the continent to recover. The disease was so devastating that it changed the social order, as a scarcity of labour led to higher wages for the survivors, hastening the demise of feudalism.
The plague was caused by Yersinia pestis, a bacterium that lives in fleas. In Europe, those fleas lived mostly on black rats (pictured). In Asia, where the disease came from, they lived on gerbils. It was thus a zoonotic illness: one usually carried by animals, but which infects people when given the chance. Since human beings have little evolutionary experience with such illnesses, and therefore little resistance to them, they can be particularly dangerous. Ebola fever is a zoonosis. So, as their names suggest, are the swine- and bird-flu strains that keep epidemiologists awake at night.
Trying to work out which animals are reservoirs of disease that might infect humans is therefore an important job. It is also a tricky one. There are lots of animal species, a lot of unpleasant viruses and bacteria, and not enough zoologists and doctors to sort through them all. But Barbara Han of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, in New York, and her colleagues think they have a way to help with this labour shortage. They propose to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to the problem.
As they describe in a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they have used a form of AI called machine learning in the search for reservoir species. Machine learning lets computers study large sets of data and identify patterns and organising principles. It is a hot topic among the world’s big technology firms, such as Google and Amazon, who have plenty of data to make sense of. Dr Han and her colleagues set their computers the task of looking at rodents, and searching for rules that describe which ones are likely to harbour and transmit potentially zoonotic diseases.
Zoologists recognise more than 2,200 species of rodent. Of these, 217 are known reservoirs of pathogens (ranging from viruses and bacteria to protozoa and worms) that have an appetite for humans. At least 79 carry more than one such pathogen.
Read more: Epidemics and artificial intelligence
The Latest on: Predicting epidemics
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Predicting epidemics” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Predicting epidemics
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infectionon March 25, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is a common cause of lung and airway infections in infants and small children. Symptoms are similar to the common cold. Rarely, RSV may cause complications.
- Virus you've probably never heard of set to spike this spring causing breathing problemson March 24, 2024 at 12:11 am
A virus you've most likely never heard of is poised to spike this spring – bringing with it a host of wheezing and breathing problems. Health experts insist we should not assume the common ...
- What’s next for the coronavirus?on March 23, 2024 at 10:23 am
More than four years into the pandemic, the virus has loosened its hold on most people’s bodies and minds. But a new variant better able to dodge our immune defenses may yet appear, derailing a ...
- After four years with COVID-19, the US is settling into a new approach to respiratory virus seasonon March 22, 2024 at 5:00 pm
With the arrival of spring, the United States is easing out of respiratory virus season, a familiar pattern that has been challenged by COVID-19 for the past four years.Related video above ...
- What You Should Know About RSV in Babieson March 22, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Share on Pinterest Westend61/Getty Images Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a serious respiratory infection that can affect people of all ages. But RSV is most serious when it occurs in babies.
- What’s Next for the Coronavirus?on March 21, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Scientists studying the virus’s continuing evolution, and the body’s immune responses, hope to head off a resurgence and to better understand long Covid. By Apoorva Mandavilli Apoorva ...
- Zika Virus Research Newson March 21, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Oct. 25, 2023 — Zika virus infection in pregnant rhesus macaques slows fetal growth and affects how infants and mothers interact in the first month of life, according to a new study. The work ...
- World’s deadliest virus leaves victims in a ‘ghost-like’ state – and there’s no cureon March 21, 2024 at 9:14 am
Marburg virus starts like a harmless flu, with a fever, headache and muscle pains. But within days, those infected suffer from excessive bleeding, a rash, extreme lethargy and blood-stained vomit ...
- Ralston Public Schools Senior discovers new viruson March 21, 2024 at 6:52 am
BACK TO YOU. ALL RIGHT, WELL, KEEP US POSTED. A YOUNG SCIENTIST FROM RALSTON HIGH SCHOOL IS BEING PRAISED AFTER HE DISCOVERED A NEW VIRUS. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S DAVON TAYLOR REPORTS ON ANY ...
via Bing News