BarryRockx

@OneHealthPact @ErasmusMC @MarionKoopmans @WUR Very #proudPI here!

Promotion time! 🦟💧🐦‍⬛ On Wednesday, the 7th of January, 2026, Imke Visser, one of our 26 One Health PACT PhD’s, will defend her thesis ‘West Nile virus pathogenesis – exploring the vector-virus-host interface’ at the @ErasmusMC. Read more: onehealthpact.org/phd-defence/ph… #onehealth

Promotion time!🦟💧🐦‍⬛On Thursday, the 15th of January, 2026, @JoDuyvestyn will defend her thesis ‘Usutu too? Insights into vaccine development strategies for an emerging orthoflavivirus’ at the @UniLeiden. Attend online at 10.00 via: universiteitleiden.nl/en/academic-st… #onehealth #mosquitos

These factors collectively determine outbreak potential and disease severity, contributing to the broader knowledge framework needed to address emerging arboviral threats.

💡 Why this matters: A focus on vector-virus-host interactions is critical because successful WNV transmission depends on complex molecular mechanisms that govern viral replication within mosquito vectors, viral adaptation to different hosts, and the efficiency of transmission.

Xmas came early again this year! Very proud of Imke Visser, last week she handed me a copy of her thesis. She will defend her thesis on Wednesday, January 7th, 2026. It was a pleasure supervising her! #ProudPI

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Just cool stuff. Mosquito spit has an effect on severity of viral infection. But it matters which mosquito bites...pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40326341/

Great collaboration with @BugproofBugprof @MarionKoopmans from the @OneHealthPact and many others.

In addition, saliva from Cx. pipiens biotypes enhance WNV-induced morbidity and mortality in vivo, as well as increased dermal vascular permeability at the inoculation site. However, only Cx pipiens molestus saliva enhances WNV viremia.

While finishing her thesis, Imke Visser just published another very cool paper on the effects of mosquito saliva from distinct species on human dermal endothelial cell function in vitro and West Nile virus pathogenesis in vivo. doi.org/10.1080/222217…

Promotion time!🦟💧🐦‍⬛ On 13 February 2025 @_El_Marshall_, one of our PhD’s, will defend her PhD thesis titled: ‘Storming the Castle – Usutu virus vs. West Nile virus: insights into neuroinvasion’ at the @erasmusuni Attend online at 13.00 via: bit.ly/4gyrYNv #onehealth

What a start of the year! On Jan 1st, paper accepted! Stay tuned!

@_El_Marshall_ The culmination of more than 4 years of work in the @OneHealthPact consortium!

@_El_Marshall_ 3/ Finally, she consolidated the clinicopathological findings obtained from human cases of WNV neuroinvasive disease and compare these with the sparse data available for human cases of USUV-related disease, to speculate on the underlying causes of the clinical differences.

Very proud of @_El_Marshall_ , today she handed me a copy of her thesis. She will defend her thesis on Thursday February 13th! It was a pleasure supervising her! #ProudPI