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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

@mackayim.bsky.social

12K followers 2.9K following 7.1K posts

forever virologist, researcher, PCR guy. past lab manager. husband. dad. reader. writer. fixer. bad typist. learner. australian. #MasksWork https://virologydownunder.com/

virologydownunder.com

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 2d

Quick update of Australian #flu numbers -07OCT
FluA subtype A(H1N1), derived from our *last* pandemic #influenza virus, dominates.
2025=thick red dashed line/red monthly dots. The last pink dot just marks September as an incomplete month.
1,368 added daily over 14 days (19,147).
➡️slowing continues

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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

Jeff Kaufman @jefftk.com · 1d

Estimating the chance of future natural pandemics, without even taking into account the increasing risk from AI-assisted engineering, I get that a good reusable mask is worth about $14k. Since they cost $30-$60, they're well worth buying to keep on hand!

You Should Get a Reusable Mask

A pandemic that's substantially worse than COVID-19 is a serious possibility. If one happens, having a good mask could save your life. A high quality reusable mask is only $30 to $60, and I think it'...

www.jefftk.com

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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

Solid Evidence @solidevidence.bsky.social · 6d

I just updated our cryptic lineage dashboard if anyone is interested.

Viewer warning: this site contains a ton of actual data that really long persistent COVID infections are still occurring.

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dholab.github.io/public_viz/0...

SARS-CoV-2 Cryptic Lineage Visualizations

dholab.github.io

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 1h

Anyone else waiting for the other shoe to drop...?
What will Netanyahu's Israel do next so he can hold onto power?

🤖 SBS News bot (unofficial) @sbs-news-bot.bsky.social · 1h

'All parties' have now signed phase one of Gaza peace deal, Israel says

Despite celebrations in Israel and Gaza and a flood of messages from world leaders hailing the deal, numerous issues remain unsettled.

www.sbs.com.au

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 1h

Buses and trains.
And also virus *serology* in daycare worker cohort over time!

Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

Mustafa Karatas @karatasmustafa.bsky.social · 13d

New paper out!

We sampled indoor air for a year in a Belgian daycare and used shotgun metagenomics to track viruses. We recovered many viral genomes of interest.

What would you sample next?

Read at @eurosurveillance.org
@emmanuel-microb.bsky.social, @jellematthijnssens.bsky.social
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Figure 3. (A–N) Sequencing coverage plots of genetic sequences of viruses detected in indoor air samples of a daycare and phylogenetic analyses of sequences of (O) two human bocaviruses and (P) one RSV identified in some samples, Belgium, January–December 2022

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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

Eurosurveillance journal @eurosurveillance.org · 1h

Our new issue is out

Researchers from @rki.de describe occurrences of the first known extensively drug-resistant (azithromycin and cefixime) #gonorrhoea cases with autochthonous transmission in Germany

🧫 bit.ly/EUS3940

#IDSky #EpiSky #MedSky #STISky #PublicHealth #AMR 🧪 #KeepAntibioticsWorking

TABLE OF CONTENT ISSUE 40 IN 2025:

Rapid communication
Autochthonous transmission of extensively drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Germany, 2025

Surveillance
Epidemiology and risk factors of Escherichia coli bloodstream infections associated with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production: a national surveillance and data linkage study, Finland, 2018 to 2023

Primary care sentinel surveillance of influenza-like illness and laboratory detections of respiratory viral infections in Denmark, week 40 2021 to week 39 2023

Letter to the editor and author's response
Peanut butter confirmed as the source in a case of infant botulism, United Kingdom, 2024

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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 1h

"t’s becoming jarringly clear that there’s very little ... defenses standing in the way of Trump’s escalating authoritarianism." trib.al/YEEoEgh

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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

UNITED24 Media @united24media.com · 2h

⚡️“Even Hamas is ready to talk—but not Putin,” Zelenskyy said, stressing that Russia still rejects every peace effort.

🔗 united24media.com/latest-news/...

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 2h

More than what?

Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 3h

[Q]: Are you planning to impose more sanctions on Russia at this point?

President Trump: Yeah, I might.

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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

Kate from Kharkiv @kateinkharkiv.bsky.social · 3h

Over a hundred Russian drones over Ukraine right now. Our night starts with Russian terrorism. Again.

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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

Crawford Kilian @crof.bsky.social · 4h

www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Canada is close to losing its measles elimination status. What happens then?

Experts blame waning vaccination rates and disinformation for outbreaks that have continued for nearly a full year

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 19h

Here's hoping.

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 19h

You've answered my earlier question here in this different thread.
Does this ref show an increase in infectiousness or the capacity for immune escape? How does immunity affect the R0?

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 21h

Have you got a value for SARS-CoV-2 Reff to hand?

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 21h

Why we corrected our estimates for the reproduction number of two #COVID subvariants
[from 2022]
theconversation.com/why-we-corre...

Why we corrected our estimates for the reproduction number of two COVID subvariants

We published an article earlier this month that contained incorrect estimates for the basic reproduction number (R0) for COVID subvariants BA.4/BA.5 and BA.2. We have now corrected the error, but I wa...

theconversation.com

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 21h

SARS-CoV-2 uses international transport as effectively as influenza viruses, but without the decades of layered underlying community immunity.

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 21h

Prof Johnston has a long and storied history in this area.
He knows this stuff.
Great to see him in print (that part I can access anyway).

Slate @slate.com · 1d

A new common-cold vaccine helped mice and monkeys get over rhinovirus. Next stop, humans. slate.trib.al/iQ0uKjk

There’s No Vaccine for the Common Cold—Yet. This Scientist Is Getting Closer to Changing That.

Imagine a winter without Emergen-C and Kleenex.

slate.trib.al

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 1d

When they happily chomp it's just mutterings, but when they start vying for Boss of the Block - its gets pretty loud!

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 1d

Big news agglomeration summary for Ukraine.

MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 @maks23.bsky.social · 1d

VERY BIG TOP NEWS TODAY 🔝

🇺🇦 Zelensky: I agreed with SBU on some plans, our responses to the Russian war are asymmetric.

💥 Novosibirsk. Fire on the territory of "Zavod Pripoev" plant.

🔥 Fire at "Ekaterinovskaya Pumping Station (PPS)", namely at the electrical substation. Rostov region.

1/8

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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

UNITED24 Media @united24media.com · 1d

⚡️ Russia’s stock market suffered its sharpest drop in three years after its Foreign Ministry said hopes of ending Russia's war against Ukraine have “practically vanished.”

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 1d

Update on the uptake of the new seed block by Cockatoos....
#Lorikeet

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 1d

Nasturtiums. I've never eaten them but I've heard that.

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 1d

Indeed! I've never seen\looked for the species name before.
Nasturtiums.

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 1d

Happy Wednesday evening fellow space rock descendents

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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

Croakey Health Media @croakeynews.bsky.social · 1d

The Health Wrap: latest on Trump et al, research matters, global health updates – and scenes from Sweden www.croakey.org/the-health-w... #publichealth

The Health Wrap: latest on Trump et al, research matters, global health updates – and scenes from Sweden

www.croakey.org

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