Rain Scald: The Future of a New Sexually Transmitted Disease

The Finnish public broadcaster Yle has reported that a new sexually transmitted infection has begun spreading in Europe. In fact, the disease is one that has long been known to affect horses and cattle: rain scald (also known as dermatophilosis). Previously, it had occurred mainly in people who worked closely with these animals, but it has now started to spread to others as well.

The disease is caused by bacteria and produces scaly skin lesions, raised bumps, and pus-filled blisters on various parts of the body. So far, however, it has responded well to antibiotic treatment, and the situation remains under control.

The infection has not been spreading among people engaging in conventional sexual activity. Rather, according to Yle's report, it "is currently found mainly among men who have visited gay saunas in France, Spain, Germany, and Sweden. Transmission has occurred through sexual contact or other forms of close skin-to-skin contact."

* * *

It remains to be seen whether this emerging disease will develop into a genuine epidemic or remain a passing curiosity. In this regard, bisexual men are likely to play a key role, as they could enable the bacterium to cross the gender barrier from gay men to heterosexual women.

If rain scald does begin to spread more widely, another important question will be whether the pathogen starts adapting to humans. In other words, will genetic changes be selected in bacterial strains that circulate between people, making transmission during sexual contact more efficient than it is today?

Should that happen, the next likely development would be the evolution of antibiotic resistance. As a result, treating the disease would become more difficult than it is at present.

For now, we can only wait and see what the future brings. At present, the only certainty is that abstaining from sex, or having sex exclusively with one faithful partner—and, apparently, also using a physical barrier such as a condom—prevents infection.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finland's COVID-19 policy saved approximately 2,600 people from death
A factory of five billion mosquitoes
Evolution in action

Society, Genetics, and the Impact of Consanguineous Marriages: At the Intersection of Education and Heredity

Many immigrant groups in Europe are known for having a high occurrence of consanguineous marriages, or incestuous unions. The issue with this can be summarized as follows: children born to closely related parents have a lower degree of heterozygosity because a significant portion of their genes comes from the same individual—for example, from a grandparent in the case of cousins. In other words, these individuals inherit identical gene variants more frequently than others.

As a result, genes that usually appear in humans as a single copy without affecting their outward characteristics, or phenotype, become visible. Among these genes, there are often many defective variants in one way or another.

The rarity of these recessive genetic defects is due to natural selection, which works against them. It operates in such a way that individuals with an observable genetic defect tend to have fewer offspring than others. Consequently, their genes do not pass on to future generations as effectively as those of other individuals.

It’s important to note that recessive genetic defects are not always clearly visible diseases. Often, they are only mildly harmful and thus primarily affect an individual’s vitality—for example, by impairing physical or mental performance—and are not considered outright diseases.

Since recessive gene variants only affect people when inherited from both parents, children born from consanguineous marriages are more likely to have disabilities. Even the seemingly healthy offspring of such unions tend to have, on average, fewer abilities than other people.

This is likely one of the most significant reasons why certain immigrant groups have struggled to succeed in Western societies, and it strongly influences the poor learning abilities observed in their children.

For this reason, consanguineous marriages should not be a taboo or off-limits topic in an increasingly diverse society but, rather, the opposite. And because this is a growing issue, the public—especially those from cultures that favor consanguinity—must be educated on the negative consequences of this tradition.

In other words, incestuous unions and their harmful societal effects must be openly discussed!

This should also be addressed—especially in schools—even if some students are themselves the offspring of cousin marriages. It is essential for them to understand this issue, break the harmful tradition of their culture, and choose spouses from outside their family.

It’s worth emphasizing that the hereditary harms caused by consanguineous marriage disappear entirely within a single generation. Therefore, even the descendants of the most inbred members of the most incestuous cultures are not doomed to the bottom of society—provided they understand the importance of not procreating with a relative.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finnish Society Adopts Medieval Characteristics
Freudian slip, 9-year-old girl and cultural appropriation
Cousin is not just a delicacy, but also a hindrance to social success