Publications

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.ABSTRACTHighly 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 on its … 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

Avian circoviruses and hepadnaviruses identified in tissue samples of various waterfowl

Avian circoviruses and hepadnaviruses identified in tissue samples of various waterfowl Olivo, D. A., Kraberger, S., Chiu, E. S., Custer, J. M., Jackson, D., Regney, M., Lund, M. C., Bandoo, R. A., Souza Penha, V. A. D., Drake, D., McGraw, K. J. & Varsani, A., Feb 2025, In: Virology. 603, 110381. Research output: Contribution to … Read more

Increase of niche filling with increase of host richness for plant-infecting mastreviruses

Increase of niche filling with increase of host richness for plant-infecting mastreviruses Ben Chéhida, S., Devi Bunwaree, H., Hoareau, M., Moubset, O., Julian, C., Blondin, L., Filloux, D., Lavergne, C., Roumagnac, P., Varsani, A., Martin, D. P., Lett, J. M. & Lefeuvre, P., 2024, In: Virus Evolution. 10, 1, veae107. Research output: Contribution to journal … Read more

2024 taxonomic update for the families Naryaviridae, Nenyaviridae, and Vilyaviridae

2024 taxonomic update for the families Naryaviridae, Nenyaviridae, and Vilyaviridae Varsani, A., Hopkins, A., Lund, M. C. & Krupovic, M., Jan 2025, In: Archives of virology. 170, 1, 18. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Diverse Circular DNA Viral Communities in Blood, Oral, and Fecal Samples of Captive Lemurs

Diverse Circular DNA Viral Communities in Blood, Oral, and Fecal Samples of Captive Lemurs Paietta, E. N., Kraberger, S., Lund, M. C., Vargas, K. L., Custer, J. M., Ehmke, E., Yoder, A. D. & Varsani, A., Jul 2024, In: Viruses. 16, 7, 1099. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Occurrence of astrovirus in young racing pigeons and genome characterization of 2 new astrovirus genomes representing 2 new species

Occurrence of astrovirus in young racing pigeons and genome characterization of 2 new astrovirus genomes representing 2 new species Łukaszuk, E., Dziewulska, D., Custer, J. M., Kraberger, S., Varsani, A. & Stenzel, T., Sep 2024, In: Poultry science. 103, 9, 104028. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Metagenome-assembled microvirus and cressdnavirus genomes from fecal samples of house mice (Mus musculus)

Metagenome-assembled microvirus and cressdnavirus genomes from fecal samples of house mice (Mus musculus) Paietta, E. N., Kraberger, S., Custer, J. M., Vargas, K. L., Ehmke, E., Yoder, A. D. & Varsani, A., Jun 2024, In: Microbiology Resource Announcements. 13, 6 Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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