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Jemma Geoghegan @jemmageoghegan.bsky.social · 22d

Our latest preprint evaluates sampling strategies for the detection of avian influenza virus from the environment @profgemmell.bsky.social @dwinter.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Evaluating sampling strategies for the detection of avian influenza viruses in the environment

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses threaten humans, livestock and wildlife, highlighting the urgent need for early warning surveillance. Environmental RNA (eRNA) monitoring provides a sa...

www.biorxiv.org

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Jemma Geoghegan @jemmageoghegan.bsky.social · Sep 3

Our latest preprint on the genomic epidemiology of flu over 10 years in NZ www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-7...

A decade of genomic surveillance tracks the disappearance and reintroduction of seasonal influenza virus in Aotearoa New Zealand

Seasonal influenza virus circulation was eliminated in Aotearoa (New Zealand) from 2020 to 2022, following the nation's stringent public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we generate nea...

www.researchsquare.com

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Otago Microbiology and Immunology @otagomicroimmuno.bsky.social · Aug 7

New publication from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology:

A Novel Crustavirus as a Candidate Aetiology of Tail Fan Necrosis in New Zealand Red Rock Lobsters, Jasus edwardsii

🔗 doi.org/10.1111/jfd....
#Microbiology #Virology #AquaticHealth #CrustaceanResearch #MarineBiology #Otago

A Novel Crustavirus as a Candidate Aetiology of Tail Fan Necrosis in New Zealand Red Rock Lobsters, Jasus edwardsii

Tail fan necrosis (TFN) is a shell disease affecting spiny lobsters' outer integument, with significant implications for the health and commercial viability of red rock lobsters (Jasus edwardsii) in ...

doi.org

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Gytis Dudas @evogytis.bsky.social · Jul 17

This is quite late but our lab has a preprint out about a SARS-CoV-2 situation we had in mink in Lithuania back in 2021. It's a doozy with re-emergence of extinct lineages, a country-wide test of all mink farms in Lithuania & some interesting dynamics in mink. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/5🧵

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Jemma Geoghegan @jemmageoghegan.bsky.social · Jul 3

We found RHDV2 in gulls! While the virus is likely to be dietary in origin, this suggests that birds may act as mechanical vectors for virus spread. Work by Steph Waller, @dwinter.bsky.social @eddieholmes.bsky.social @mongoosekiwi.bsky.social et al. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Metatranscriptomic detection of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 in karoro (southern black-backed gulls) | Journal of Virology

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2; species Lagovirus europaeus) is a highly pathogenic lagovirus (Caliciviridae) responsible for a lethal disease in rabbits and hares (1). First identified in ...

journals.asm.org

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Moritz Kraemer @mugkraemer.bsky.social · Jun 10

Phylogenetic insights into the transmission dynamics of arthropod-borne viruses

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Great work by Verity Hill and team

Phylogenetic insights into the transmission dynamics of arthropod-borne viruses - Nature Reviews Genetics

Arthropod-borne viruses have a substantial impact on global health, with climate change and urbanization exacerbating their emergence. Integrating genomic surveillance and phylogenetic models with eco...

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Michelle Wille @duckswabber.bsky.social · May 12

Rhys and I found some weird influenza B viruses in fish a few years ago. For 2, the HA's bind a2,3 sialic acid ("bird type receptor"). The Siamese algae eater virus NA has a highly conserved structure and active site. No cross-reactive antibodies in human sera.
👉 biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Spyros Lytras @spyroslytras.bsky.social · May 10

Sooo happy to finally have this one published!! (3 years in the making… 👀) A comprehensive investigation into the recency and geographical origins of both SARS-CoVs that spilled to humans in the past few decades, now in @cp-cell.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

The recency and geographical origins of the bat viruses ancestral to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2

Recombination-aware evolutionary analyses of the entire genomes of SARS-CoV-1-like and SARS-CoV-2-like viruses indicate that SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 descend from bat coronaviruses that circulated as...

www.cell.com

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

University of Otago - Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka @universityofotago.bsky.social · May 7

Two Otago academics, Dr Olivia Harrison and Professor Jemma Geoghegan, have been awarded Prime Minister's Science Prizes for their outstanding work on managing viruses and managing anxiety. Ngā mihi nui! 👏

Read more here:

Prime Minister’s prizes awarded to two Otago academics

Work on managing anxiety and managing viruses has resulted in two Otago academics receiving Prime Minister’s Science Prizes.

www.otago.ac.nz

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Eddie Holmes @eddieholmes.bsky.social · Apr 8

Recombination between positive-sense and negative-sense RNA viruses: journals.plos.org/plospathogen...

A positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus acquired a negative-sense open reading frame through recombination

Author summary The discovery of brine shrimp virga-like virus 1 (BSVV1) challenges the conventional view that positive- and negative-sense RNA viruses are evolutionarily independent. Through genomic a...

journals.plos.org

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Gytis Dudas @evogytis.bsky.social · Apr 3

We're looking for a PhD student to join us at Vilnius University in Lithuania. We work on RNA virus evolution computationally but we'd like to generate more mosquito RNA virus sequence data. Official ad: www.gmc.vu.lt/en/doctoral-.... Please share & continue reading if interested.

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Ben Longdon @blongdon.bsky.social · Apr 2

Just out "Making sense of the virome in light of evolution and ecology" doi.org/10.1098/rspb... from super ⭐ team @meganawallace.bsky.social @duckswabber.bsky.social @jemmageoghegan.bsky.social @ryanmimrie.bsky.social @eddieholmes.bsky.social @xavh.bsky.social in Proc B @royalsocietypublishing.org

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Jemma Geoghegan @jemmageoghegan.bsky.social · Mar 30

One for the hepaci fans. We found a cool new hepacivirus (along with some other things) in kiwi with dermatitis meridian.allenpress.com/jwd/article/...

A Metagenomic Investigation into Apteryx rowi Dermatosis Identifies Multiple Novel Viruses and a Highly Abundant Nematode

Abstract. Sporadic cases of dermatosis have been reported in wild Ōkārito Rowi (Apteryx rowi), a species of brown kiwi, for over a decade. The disease exhibits distinctive features, including lesions,...

meridian.allenpress.com

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Marc Daalder @marcdaalder.bsky.social · Mar 25

I spent about 30 hours over four weeks reading all 716 pages of the report of the Royal Commission into the Covid-19 response, then wrote two articles detailing its findings and recommendations.

With the paywall now lifted on both of those pieces, here's what I found. 🧵

The next pandemic is coming. NZ isn't ready

Special report: The island nation is less prepared for a pandemic than it was five years ago, even as new threats emerge overseas.

newsroom.co.nz

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Jemma Geoghegan @jemmageoghegan.bsky.social · Mar 21

Preparing for the next pandemic: insights from Aotearoa New Zealand’s Covid-19 response www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Preparing for the next pandemic: insights from Aotearoa New Zealand’s Covid-19 response

In 2020 Aotearoa New Zealand, like many other countries, faced the coronavirus pandemic armed with an influenza-based pandemic plan. The country adapt…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Jemma Geoghegan @jemmageoghegan.bsky.social · Mar 18

We found a crustavirus that may or may not have something to do with tail fan necrosis in lobsters www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A novel crustavirus associated with tail fan necrosis in New Zealand red rock lobsters, Jasus edwardsii

Tail fan necrosis (TFN) is a shell disease affecting spiny lobsters' outer integument, with significant implications for the health and commercial viability of red rock lobsters (Jasus edwardsii) in N...

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Michelle Wille @duckswabber.bsky.social · Mar 6

Great walk through of all the knowns and unknowns of the current HPAI outbreak in US dairy cattle with a focus on both the cattle, but also human pandemic risk.
👉 journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Ed Hill @edmhill.bsky.social · Mar 4

📰 DEFRA avian Influenza update on 04 Mar 2025 #IDSky #IDEpi

🐔 Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 confirmed in a commercial poultry premises near Kington, Herefordshire.

📊 25 cases of HPAI H5N1 in England in 2025

🔗 Avian influenza: latest situation in England 👇

Bird flu (avian influenza): latest situation in England

Find out about the latest bird flu situation in England and guidance for bird keepers and the public.

www.gov.uk

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Hailey Robertson @haileyrobertson.bsky.social · Jan 16

Couldn't ask for a better first Bluesky post! Our new paper, "Pathogens and planetary change," is out now in @natrevbiodiv.bsky.social. We discuss the linkages between biodiversity loss + pandemics and how we can address these interconnected crises 🧪😷

Give it a read: www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Pathogens and planetary change - Nature Reviews Biodiversity

This Review explores the relationship between emerging infectious diseases and biodiversity loss, and how both are connected to global environmental changes in the Anthropocene.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · Jan 13

Essential reading from @katherinejwu.com @theatlantic.com.

For months, we've passively watched H5N1 tear through animals. A year into the cattle outbreak & it remains out of control. H5N1 is everywhere.

If H5N1 causes a pandemic, it will be because we let it.
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...

Bird Flu Is a National Embarrassment

America should have more aggressively intervened almost a year ago.

www.theatlantic.com

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Eddie Holmes @eddieholmes.bsky.social · Jan 11

Lots of new viruses (and other known pathogens) here, especially in carnivores and rodents. Of most interest, a bi-segmented coronavirus sampled from diseased red (lesser) pandas (Ailurus fulgens) and that represents a new genus. Work led my Mang Shi and Shuo Su. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · Jan 9

Thrilled to be co-leading these efforts with our colleagues at Scripps Research and UCSD.

Scripps Research @scripps.edu · Jan 9

In a new $5.7M partnership with @ucsandiego.bsky.social, Scripps Research joins the CDC's CHARM Network as the central data hub. This 5-year initiative will bolster national preparedness for respiratory viruses like influenza and SARS-CoV-2. More:

Scripps Research to lead data analytics in CDC-funded pandemic preparedness initiative with UC San Diego - Scripps Research Magazine

Under the leadership of UC San Diego, Scripps Research is partnering with several institutions to bolster national preparedness for respiratory viruses. UC San Diego (the primary award recipient) has ...

magazine.scripps.edu

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · Dec 27

As usual, Helen is first out of the gate with a great explanatory piece on the CDC's updated technical report on the H5N1 case in Louisiana, with quotes from me and @scottehensley.bsky.social. 👇

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · Dec 27

The #H5N1 #birdflu virus from a severe case in Louisiana shows it was developing mutations that could help it attach to cells in human respiratory tracts, including a mutation seen in a recent severe case in British Columbia, Canada, the #CDC reported today. www.statnews.com/2024/12/26/c...

CDC says H5N1 bird flu sample shows mutations that may help the virus bind to cells in the upper airways of people

The CDC said Thursday that the mutations, detected in a sample taken from a Louisiana patient, may help bind the virus to the upper airways in people.

www.statnews.com

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Reposted by Jemma Geoghegan

Joe Grove @grovearmada.bsky.social · Dec 20

🎁 Early Xmas present from your friends at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research @cvrinfo.bsky.social

We're thrilled to unwrap Viro3D - a comprehensive database of virus protein structures: >85,000 predicted structures from 4,400 human & animal viruses! 🦠

viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk

Viro3D

viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk

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Jemma Geoghegan @jemmageoghegan.bsky.social · Dec 20

Our latest preprint investigates viruses in calves associated with an idiopathic ill-thrift syndrome www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Oral and faecal viromes of New Zealand calves on pasture with an idiopathic ill-thrift syndrome

Since 2015, an idiopathic ill-thrift syndrome featuring diarrhoea and, in some cases, gastrointestinal ulceration has been reported in weaned New Zealand dairy calves. Similar syndromes have been desc...

www.biorxiv.org

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