Hybrid vigor desired in cow breeding; but not so much in viral microbe herds

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My science curiosity perked up on news of a virus in China. There, 100 people a day died from a pneumonia-like disease. Now, the NY Times says 142 people died in the last 24 hours.

To me, that’s ultra-vigor in hybrid bugs.

I survive with high awareness of pneumonia. Last year, my Doctor said I’d pushed my limits. Then, I thought I had a bad cold. First, flu-like symptoms laid me low. But, it got worse.

I put off making a call until I could hardly breath. That’s when he said, I’d almost waited too long. I had advanced pneumonia.

“Old men and pneumonia don’t go together” he said, He cured me in spite of my ignorance. I’d had a flu-shot, so knew I was protected. But, when my virus was tested, it came back as not the flu of that winter.

I took fully two months for full recovery.

My hard-earned advice: Don’t wait; go to your doctor and get tested.

I proved, I’m not good a self-diagnoses. Doctors and nurses know far more about getting me well than I do. Just, trust the medics.

I should know pneumonia, as my great-grandfather Elijah Dailey died of it. That didn’t start with flu, as he was first kicked in the chest by a mule. He’d walked into a barn stall behind a mule without shouting. A startled mule planted two hind feet in his chest. He died a week later of pneumonia.

When I did the Missouri Mule History Project, I was told this safety tip: “Never walk in behind a mule in a barn without announcing yourself.”

I first heard that, in Howard County. The mule owner took me to show off his team. On entering the barn, he slammed the door open against the farm side. Made me jump. The mules also. We didn’t get kicked.

Back to today: I try to keep up on the Coronovirus. It will come visiting, I’m sure. There’s no known cure, yet. But, the NY Times says 80 studies are underway. The World Health Organization tries to coordinate research, assuring real science. Chinese are testing 2,000-year-old herbal remedies.

More scientific is an enzyme treatment for HIV that offers control of SARS, the previous big threat from China. That’s a doozy of a name: “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.”

Quick response needed. By Feb. 16, we had 68,800 cases worldwide.

Symptoms are what I had last year: fever, cough and respiratory distress. That means shortness of breath. I tell colleagues: “Go see your Doc earlier than later.”

My agricultural interest rose with news that the current virus, now called Covid-19, came from animals. In China I say that’s likely swine. Already China, the world’s largest pork producer, has lost half its herd to African Swine Fever.

We’ve seen shifting populations of viruses. Every year flu bugs evolve. In beef cow herds we like to take advantage of crossbreeding of two different breeds. That brings heterosis, or hybrid vigor. Currently our MU Extension reproduction specialists urge crossbreeding to gain heterosis. That adds vigor, plus better genetic traits.

I see that happening in microbes. But, we do not need more vigorous pneumonia. We may have created it accidently.

I’ll repeat my other advice to army veterans who fired guns without any hearing protection. That’s anything from M-1 rifles to field artillery. I blew my ears away long ago, and then grew increasingly deaf. I urge any military veteran in the same shape is to go to nearest Veterans Administration and apply for hearing aids. I held back because of rumors of the impossible paperwork required.

It is bureaucratic. But, very worthwhile. It took me six months of being turned down, When I finally went to HST VA Hospital in Columbia, I found advocates. A DAV volunteer and a VA audiologist wrote the right words. My new aids take learning to use, but they change my life.

Send ideas on pneumonia or beef heterosis to duanedailey7@gmail.com.