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
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.ABSTRACTRealm 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 this realm … 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
ORAL AND GASTRIC PLAQUES, PAPILLOMAS, SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMAS AND PAPILLOMAVIRUSES IN SLENDER-HORNED GAZELLES (GAZELLA LEPTOCEROS )
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2026 Jun;57(2):393-405. doi: 10.1638/2024-0055. ABSTRACT The slender-horned gazelle (SHG, Gazella leptoceros) is a small, sand-colored antelope native to northern Africa. It is endangered due to poaching and habitat loss. Limited reports describe health or disease in wild or zoo populations. Mucosal plaques in the oral cavity (n = 2), papillomas in … Read more
Divergent poxvirus identified in a non-native black rat from Madagascar
Virology. 2026 Jun 30;623:111021. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2026.111021. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Non-native rodents serve as bridges between anthropogenic and natural landscapes. They have expanded across the planet alongside humans while bringing competition, predation, and pathogens, such as poxviruses, to naïve ecosystems. Although rodents serve as reservoirs for multiple zoonotic poxviruses, limited research has focused on … Read more
Angiostrongylus cantonensis Rat Lungworm Detected in Rats, Madagascar, 2022-2023
Emerg Infect Dis. 2026 Jul;32(7):1188-1192. doi: 10.3201/eid3207.260142. ABSTRACT Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is a zoonotic parasite that causes eosinophilic meningitis in humans; the parasite is maintained in rat definitive hosts and transmitted through gastropod intermediate hosts. We report A. cantonensis prevalence and mitochondrial genome from oral swab specimens from rats in Madagascar, supporting swabs … Read more
