Varsani Lab - the viral kind
We are a wild 'viral' molecular virology research group that works across ecosystems studying viral dynamics.
Our broader objectives are to
- Study viral dynamics in Ross Sea (Antarctica) ecosystem which is recognised as anthropogenically the least-altered marine system on the planet with no evidence indicating introduction or range expansion of any species thus far, despite its changing physical environment.
- Unravel the viral evolutionary dynamics as a consequence of climate change.
- Study viral ecological interaction networks within a microbiome to unravel the dynamics of pathogen emergence.
Arvind Varsani
I am a molecular virologist who works across ecosystems from plants to animals and from the tropics to the Antarctic. My research uses a combination of traditional virology, microscopy (including transmission electron microscopy), molecular and cellular biology techniques in conjunction with modern sequencing techniques, synthetic biology and bioinformatics to characterise viruses and understand their dynamics.
Arizona State University, Tempe, USA
6/2023 - current: Professor at the Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences
07/2016 - 6/2023: Associate Professor at the Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences
University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
02/2009 - 07/2016: Senior lecturer / researcher in School of Biological Sciences
University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
07/2003 - 09/2008: Lecturer in the Structural Biology Research Unit
University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
1998 - 2003: PhD in Molecular and cell biology
Loughborough University, Loughborough, England
1993 - 1997: BSc, DIS in Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Publications
Atypical myxomatosis in European rabbits is caused by the recombinant myxoma virus involved in species jumping into hares
bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Jul 27:2026.07.25.740729. doi: 10.64898/2026.07.25.740729.ABSTRACTMyxoma virus (MYXV), a member of the Leporipoxvirus genus (species Leporipoxvirus myxoma; family Poxviridae ), causes a highly lethal disease known as myxomatosis in European rabbits. In late 2018, a new natural MYXV isolate, MYXV-Tol (a.k.a. hare MYXV; ha-MYXV), emerged and caused myxomatosis-like disease with high mortality in Iberian … Read more
Virus community views on the possible extension of virus taxonomic assignments to a below-species rank
J Gen Virol. 2026 Aug;107(8). doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.002313. ABSTRACT The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) is considering a proposal submitted in July 2025 to create an optional additional taxonomic rank below the level of species. This was designed to increase the precision of taxonomic assignment where clinical or other regulatory distinctions need to be … Read more
Skuas as sentinels of high pathogenicity avian influenza H5N1 on the Antarctic Peninsula in the 2024/2025 austral summer
Microb Genom. 2026 Aug;12(8). doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.001724. ABSTRACT Despite Antarctica’s geographic isolation, the first incursion of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was detected in the 2023/2024 austral summer. Surveillance for HPAI H5N1 in Antarctica remains patchy due to logistical, financial and infrastructure challenges, with many suspected cases remaining unconfirmed and few viral genome sequences available … Read more
Efunaviria, Floreoviria, Pleomoviria, and Volvereviria: four realms of viruses with small DNA genomes to replace realm Monodnaviria
J Virol. 2026 Aug 12:e0101926. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01019-26. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Realm Monodnaviria was established for unification of viruses with small DNA genomes that encode homologous endonucleases initiating rolling circle replication or their inactivated derivatives. However, comprehensive analysis of the expanded virus sequence and structure databases revealed that neither replication nor structural modules within … Read more
Metagenome-assembled genomes of papillomaviruses from mallard and northern pintail cloacal swabs
Microbiol Resour Announc. 2026 Aug 5:e0072626. doi: 10.1128/mra.00726-26. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT There is little known about papillomavirus diversity in waterfowl. From cloacal swabs of one mallard and three northern pintails sampled in New Mexico (USA), we identified four papillomavirus genomes. These papillomaviruses share >92.7% genome-wide nucleotide pairwise identity with Anas platyrhynchos papillomavirus 3 … Read more
Rapid Expansion of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Clade 2.3.4.4b Genotype D1.1 Virus across Flyway Regions, North America, Fall 2024
Emerg Infect Dis. 2026 Jul 13;32(8). doi: 10.3201/eid3208.260205. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Highly pathogenic avian influenza clade 2.3.4.4b virus continues to circulate in North America and has caused severe human disease. That clade includes genotype D1.1, which became dominant in birds in late 2024. Recent phylodynamic reconstructions place D1.1 emergence in mid-2024 but differ … Read more
