Erica Españo, PhD

Statins against Zika virus. And probably other enveloped viruses, while we're at it. nature.com/articles/s4159…

Nakakagalit. Recto signed away PhilHealth’s P60 B for flood works, document shows philstar.com/opinion/2025/1…

Having a hard time to not blame Americans...... Very depressing that - what would not be tolerated in a classroom or workplace- is fully acceptable in the presidency. nos.nl/collectie/1398…

@cJeyp Is this me 👀

Ah okay wag nalang daw

#MicrobiologMonday: Jumbo phages (>200 kb genome size) from wastewater kill strains of extensively drug resistant P. aeruginosa from eyedrops. The phages could be a viable treatment for eyedrop-associated infections when antibiotics fail. #AACJournal: asm.social/1zl

Out of the blue: influenza viruses are ancient, diverse and with an aquatic origin. Work from @MaryPetrone10 @jonathon_mifsud and the @edwardcholmes lab. @PNASNews pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn…

I am looking for a graduate student and a postdoc to join my group! We are a computational group working on understanding evolution in natural populations with a large emphasis on the microbiome. Please get in touch by dm or email! garud.eeb.ucla.edu

Three HPAI genome constellations circulating in Japan 2021/22 (H5N8 and H5N1). Multiple H5 HPAI and LPAIVs disseminate to Japan via transboundary winter migration of wild birds 👉jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jvms/a…

BREAKING NEWS The 2023 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

HPAI in black bear mother and cub in Canada. Virus detected by immunohistochemistry in brain and liver. Both had PB2 D701N mutation. Viruses similar to Newfoundland H5N1 (2021). 👉wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/29…

Overlooked component of HPAI outbreaks is an understanding of immune systems of wild birds. Nice study here looking at evolutionary trade offs between innate ("natural antibodies) and acquired immune (here MHC) defence. 👉frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.11…

I have nightmares about Nipah virus. However, so far these outbreaks were all contained. edition.cnn.com/2023/09/14/ind…

Truly mad indeed, but not as mad as I will be once I find who did it!

"H5 HPAIV remains unlikely to acquire the ability to infect and stably circulate among the human population" "The impact of the current outbreak on livestock industries and wild animal populations is immense and demands intervention" 👉nature.com/articles/s4156…

Virus world database (VWdb), an API-enabled database of virus taxonomy journals.asm.org/doi/abs/10.112…

Finally time to share one of our papers, now out! @MarsKlaassen and I outline the plight of wild birds in the HPAI panzootic, and our concerns around the severe discrepancy in reporting of mortality data. 👉nature.com/articles/s4155…

Comprehensive article on phylodynamic approaches for studying avian influenza virus 👉tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

A novel influenza virus has infected a person in Michigan, making them sick enough to go to the hospital. The virus belongs to H1N2, a swine flu group. The person was around pigs at a state fair. They're recovering. We are always one step away. who.int/emergencies/di…

A duck is not a duck is not a duck. Differential disease outcomes when comparing Muscovy, Pekin and Mallard ducks infected with HPAI 2.3.4.4b H5N8. No Mallards died, and had highest Mx and INF expression and highest shedding. 👉doi.org/10.1016/j.cimi…

So bats have influenza A viruses, but they are different from bird/human/swine influenza viruses. Turns out that the M2 protein in bat influenza may have a different function (M2 in influenza A has proton channel activity). Fascinating findings. 👉journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.11…