Chantal Vogels
@chantalvogels.bsky.social
1.9K followers 340 following 14 posts
Assistant Professor at Yale School of Public Health | Medical Entomology 🦟 | Arbovirology 🦠 | Genomics 🧬 | 🇳🇱 | www.vogelslab.com
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Chantal Vogels
emiliefinch.bsky.social
Great to collaborate with @chantalvogels.bsky.social, Afeez Sodeinde and their team on this comprehensive work looking at dengue virus & Wolbachia interactions, making the case for considering DENV genetic diversity when implementing Wolbachia-based control interventions - key findings below! 🦠🦟
chantalvogels.bsky.social
Key finding #5: Potential for dengue virus strain selection following Wolbachia interventions, with selection for few strains with a high average relative dissemination 📈
chantalvogels.bsky.social
Key finding #4: Differential Wolbachia inhibition results in increased probability of dengue virus reemergence, particularly in high transmission intensity settings 💻
chantalvogels.bsky.social
Key finding #3: Differential inhibition of the four dengue virus serotypes, with the least inhibition of many DENV-3 isolates in both Wolbachia strains 🧬
chantalvogels.bsky.social
Key finding #2: Overall stronger inhibition by wMelM as compared to wAlbB 🦠
chantalvogels.bsky.social
Key finding #1: High level of variability in dengue virus dissemination ranging from 0-100%, even in the absence of Wolbachia 🦟
chantalvogels.bsky.social
We tested inhibition of 60 dengue virus isolates by two Wolbachia strains (wAlbB and wMelM) in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. To explore the epidemiological implications of our findings, we used our experimental data to inform stochastic transmission models.
Reposted by Chantal Vogels
yaleemd.bsky.social
🎉✨👏 Welcome to a new academic year in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health! We’re excited to continue learning, collaborating, and advancing public health together.
Reposted by Chantal Vogels
yalesph.bsky.social
At Yale School of Public Health, research starts with people.

From AI and youth mental health to national medical billing reform, this is public health with national reach. bit.ly/3J1ekY7

@meganranney.bsky.social @chantalvogels.bsky.social
Innovation That Matters: Episode 4 – Yale School of Public Health
YouTube video by Yale University
youtu.be
Reposted by Chantal Vogels
jameshay.bsky.social
Excited to share our paper on viral load dynamics of West Nile virus in mosquitoes! Key findings:

1. Variation in pooled Ct values from mosquito traps reflect underlying biological and epidemiological mechanisms.
2. WNV prevalence estimates are improved by using Cts rather than +ve/-ve pool status.
punya-alahakoon.bsky.social
New preprint!
We use pooled Ct values from mosquito surveillance to estimate West Nile virus prevalence—without binarising the data.
Joint work with Ian Marchinton, Joseph R. Fauver & James Hay.
Check it out: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Tracking West Nile virus dynamics using viral loads from trapped mosquitoes
West Nile virus (WNV) persists in an enzootic cycle between birds and mosquitoes. Human infections are incidental and usually sub-clinical with some cases of neuroinvasive disease. Mitigation relies on surveillance to guide decision making, including RT-qPCR testing pools of mosquitoes. Cycle threshold (Ct) values from these pools\---|semi-quantitative proxies for viral load\---|are binarised to estimate WNV prevalence in mosquitoes as a proxy for human risk. We showed that Ct value variation in Colorado and Nebraska (2022-2024) cannot be explained by laboratory factors, suggesting a role for biological and epidemiological mechanisms. We developed a multiscale model linking pooled Ct values to mosquito viral kinetics, bird-to-mosquito transmission, and seasonal force of infection. A novel method estimating WNV prevalence using pooled Ct values outperformed existing approaches at high prevalence. We demonstrate the importance of treating environmental viral load samples as quantitative, as binarising masks key information for arbovirus surveillance and risk mitigation. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Wellcome Trust Early Career Award, grant 225001/Z/22/Z UNMC VCR
www.biorxiv.org
Reposted by Chantal Vogels
Reposted by Chantal Vogels
mosquitomicrobe.bsky.social
What @edmhill.bsky.social said!!!👇
edmhill.bsky.social
📣 Funded PhD opportunity (UK tuition fee rate) in @hpruezi.bsky.social. #PhDSky

🧪 "Predict & Prepare for Arbovirus Introduction to the UK" #IDSky

👥 Supervisors: @mosquitomicrobe.bsky.social | @baylism.bsky.social | Jolyon Medlock

⏳ Deadline: 17 Jul 2025

🔗: www.lstmed.ac.uk/study/resear...
PhD project: Predict and Prepare for Arbovirus Introduction to the UK

(Application type) Studentship: National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections (EZI)

Research Theme: Predict and Prevent
Primary Supervisor: Dr Grant Hughes
Research department: Vector Biology
Closing date: 17 July 2025 Abstract.

This project has the broad aims of better understanding the risk of mosquito-borne diseases in the UK and developing and evaluating vector control strategies to mitigate this risk. One highly promising vector control strategy exploits the bacterium Wolbachia, to either render populations incapable of transmitting pathogens, or to suppress the mosquito population itself. In collaboration with partners, we will undertake initial steps to develop novel Wolbachia-based control strategies suitable for the suppression of Ae. albopictus, a highly invasive and competent vector of many arboviruses. Such approaches could be critical in repressing the incursion of Ae. albopictus into the UK, and/or forming a biological barrier that prevents establishment. The project will develop mosquito lines that are capable of being used in such an approach and these lines will be evaluated for the suppression capacity against a range of different Aedes albopictus populations from Europe. Data obtained from these experiments will be integrated into models to determine how this approach and other contemporary and conventional vector control measures could be deployed in the event of an Aedes albopictus-transmitted disease outbreak in the UK. This is critical research to inform UK government strategies to manage the incursion of Aedes albopictus and associated arbovirus risks.

This PhD is a collaboration between the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, University of Liverpool & the UK Health Security Agency. In addition to the benefits associated with the HPRU, the PhD position will be based within the Mosquito Symbiosis and Infection (MosSI) group, in the Departments of Vector Biology & Tropical Disease Biology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Supervisors for the project include Profs Grant Hughes (LSTM), Matthew Baylis (UoL) & Dr Jolyon Medlock (UKHSA).

PhD focus will be agreed with the successful applicant based on their own background & research interests. Indicative Start Date: 01 October 2025

Funding package: This studentship is funded by the NIHR HPRU EZI-3 project.

The studentship includes:
- Stipend set at the UKRI Minimum Doctoral Stipend rate. For 25/26 this is £20,780 per annum.
- Tuition/programme fees at the 'Home' rate
- Contribution to research support fees for; lab consumables, travel, computing hardware, publications.

The duration of the funding package is 3 years.

There is no additional funding available to support travel to the UK or with costs associated with a UK Visa application. Academic:
 
- Applicants must hold at least a first class or high upper second-class Honours degree, or a degree of comparable standard awarded from outside the UK.
- A Masters degree (at merit or distinction preferable) is also welcomed, but not a pre-requisite.
- Where an applicant does not meet the Honours degree requirement (e.g. they hold a lower second-class Honours degree), they may be eligible to apply if they also hold a Master's degree with an awarded distinction in an area relevant to the MRC DTP. To be considered for this exemption, the qualification must be awarded at time of application and candidates must provide an award certificate and transcript for both qualifications. Unfortunately, we are unable to consider Master's qualifications that have not yet been awarded for this purpose.

Residence:
Candidates of all nationalities are eligible to apply to this studentship and we encourage applicants that are nationals of a Low-Middle-Income Country (Link to webpage with list of countries with low-income or middle-income economies. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) compiles this information and revises it every three years. https://wellcome.org/research-funding/guidance/prepare-to-apply/low-and-middle-income-countries)
Reposted by Chantal Vogels
yaleemd.bsky.social
🥳📢 Student Spotlight Alert!

Afeez Sodeinde, a PhD student in the Vogels and Grubaugh Labs, studies how dengue evolves and how Wolbachia impacts the virus. His work shows that we need tailored vector control strategies, not one-size-fits-all.

👉 Learn more here: medicine.yale.edu/news-article...
Reposted by Chantal Vogels
yaleemd.bsky.social
🥳📢 Student Spotlight Alert!

Meet Nicole Feriancek, a PhD student in the Vogels and Grubaugh Labs, sequencing over 3,000 West Nile virus samples in Connecticut. Her work tracks how the virus spreads and evolves across the state.

👉 Learn more here: medicine.yale.edu/news-article...
Reposted by Chantal Vogels
trevorsorrells.bsky.social
The Sorrells Lab is hiring a recent college graduate interested in neurobiology of mosquitoes! The position is ideal for someone interested in gaining skills for graduate school. Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/164849
Mosquito larvae saying "Join Us!"