J. Weger-Lucarelli

Gain without pain: Adaptation and increased virulence of Zika virus in vertebrate host without fitness cost in mosquito vector

This study shows that ZIKV adapts to vertebrate hosts with increased virulence without reducing its ability to transmit via mosquitoes.

Intracellular diversity of WNV within circulating avian peripheral blood mononuclear cells reveals host-dependent patterns of polyinfection

The paper infects avian hosts and cell lines with barcoded WNV to show that higher viremia in crows allows greater viral diversity and maintenance of rare variants through complementation, unlike in robins.

Replication in the presence of dengue convalescent serum impacts Zika virus neutralization sensitivity and fitness

This study shows that replicating Zika virus in dengue convalescent serum leads to mutations that increase fitness in cell cultures but reduce fitness in mosquitoes and alter neutralization sensitivity.

Widespread exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife communities

The paper documents SARS-CoV-2 exposure in six wildlife species and finds higher seroprevalence in areas with high human activity, suggesting human-to-animal transmission events.

The E2 glycoprotein holds key residues for Mayaro virus adaptation to the urban Aedes aegypti mosquito

This paper identifies a mutation in the E2 glycoprotein of Mayaro virus that enhances transmission in Aedes aegypti but reduces replication in human cells, suggesting a trade-off in host adaptation.

Genomic and phenotypic analyses suggest moderate fitness differences among Zika virus lineages

The paper analyzes genomic and phenotypic data from Zika virus lineages to assess fitness differences during the 2015-2016 epidemic, finding moderate fitness changes but no significant virulence or transmission enhancement.

Adenovirus transduction to express human ACE2 causes obesity-specific morbidity in mice, impeding studies on the effect of host nutritional status on SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis.

This study shows that adenovirus-mediated ACE2 expression in mice causes obesity-specific morbidity, complicating research on SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis in different nutritional states.

Title - Impact of extrinsic incubation temperature on natural selection during Zika virus infection of Aedes aegypti

This study examines how constant and fluctuating temperatures affect Zika virus transmission and genetic diversity in Aedes mosquitoes.

A selective sweep in the Spike gene has driven SARS-CoV-2 human adaptation

The paper identifies a selective sweep in the Spike gene of SARS-CoV-2 that enhanced human adaptation by improving binding to human ACE2 and replication in human cells.

Rapid evolution of enhanced Zika virus virulence during direct vertebrate transmission chains

This study shows ZIKV adapts more rapidly to mice during direct transmission compared to mosquito or alternating host transmission, with a virulence-enhancing mutation emerging.

A reverse-transcription/RNase H based protocol for depletion of mosquito ribosomal RNA facilitates viral intrahost evolution analysis, transcriptomics and pathogen discovery.

This paper introduces a reverse-transcription/RNase H protocol to deplete mosquito rRNA, enabling efficient viral analysis and discovery in field samples.

Adventitious viruses persistently infect three commonly used mosquito cell lines

The paper identifies persistent viral infections in four commonly used mosquito cell lines, showing that they harbor active viral replication and integration.

Molecularly barcoded Zika virus libraries to probe in vivo evolutionary dynamics

This paper uses molecularly barcoded Zika virus to study in vivo infection dynamics in pregnant and non-pregnant macaques and mosquitoes, finding stable lineage proportions during acute infection but a rapid decline in complexity post-infection in pregnant animals.