Research Project: Rift Valley Fever Pathogenesis and Epidemiology

Location: Foreign Arthropod Borne Animal Disease Research

Publications (Clicking on the reprint icon will take you to the publication reprint.)

Expanding understanding of urban Rift Valley fever risk and associated vector ecology at slaughterhouses in Kisumu, Kenya - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Gerken, K.N., Owuor, K.O., Ndenga, B.N., Wambua, S., Winter, C., Chemutai, S., Omukuti, R., Arabu, D., Miring’U, I., Wilson, W.C., Mutuku, F., Waggoner, J.J., Pinksy, B., Bosire, C., Labeaud, A.D. 2024. Expanding understanding of urban Rift Valley fever risk and associated vector ecology at slaughterhouses in Kisumu, Kenya. Pathogens. 13(6). Article 488. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13060488.

Rift Valley fever phlebovirus reassortment study in sheep - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Balaraman, V., Indran, S.V., Kim, I., Trujillo, J.D., Meekins, D.A., Shivanna, V., Zajac, M.D., Urbaniak, K., Morozov, I., Sunwoo, S., Faburay, B., Osterrieder, K., Gaudreault, N., Wilson, W.C., Richt, J.A. 2024. Rift Valley fever phlebovirus reassortment study in sheep. Viruses. 16(6). Article 880. https://doi.org/10.3390/v16060880.

Rift Valley fever - (Book / Chapter)
Kimble, J.B., Noronha, L.E., Trujillo, J., Mitzel, D.N., Richt, J., Wilson, W.C. 2024. In: Hayes, T., Gopal, V., editors. Veterinary Clinics of North America. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier. p. 293-304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvfa.2024.01.004.

Preliminary study on the efficacy of a recombinant, subunit SARS-CoV-2 animal vaccine against virulent SARS-CoV-2 challenge in cats - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Morozov, I., Gaudreault, N.N., Trujillo, J.D., Indran, S., Cool, K., Kwon, T., Meekins, D.A., Balaraman, V., Artiaga, B.L., Madden, D.W., McDowell, C.D., Njaa, B., Retallick, J., Hainer, N., Millership, J., Wilson, W.C., Tkalcevic, G.T., Vander Horst, H., Burakova, Y., King, V.L., Hutchinson, K., Hardham, J.M., Schwahn, D.J., Kumar, M., Richt, J.A. 2023. Preliminary study on the efficacy of a recombinant, subunit SARS-CoV-2 animal vaccine against virulent SARS-CoV-2 challenge in cats. Vaccines. 11(12). Article 1831. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11121831.

Rift Valley fever virus M and L genome segment detection: A comparison of field deployable reverse transcription insulated isothermal PCR (RT-iiPCR) and laboratory based multiplex reverse transcriptase real-time PCR - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Trujillo, J.D., Wilson, W.C., Craig, A., Van Den Bergh, C., Wang, T., Thompson, P.N., Swanepoel, R., Morozoz, I., Richt, J. 2024. Rift Valley fever virus M and L genome segment detection: A comparison of field deployable reverse transcription insulated isothermal PCR (RT-iiPCR) and laboratory based multiplex reverse transcriptase real-time PCR. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 63(3). https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.00430-23.

Identification of host factors for Rift Valley fever phlebovirus - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Balaraman, V., Indran, S.V., Meekins, D., Jakkula, L.U., Liu, H., Hays, M.P., Li, Y., Souza-Neto, J.A., Gaudreault, N.N., Hardwidge, P.R., Wilson, W.C., Weber, F., Richt, J.A. 2023. Identification of host factors for Rift Valley fever phlebovirus. Viruses. 15(11). Article 2251. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15112251.

Fatal food: Silver-coated grain particles display larvicidal activity in Culex quinquefasciatus - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Norton, A.E., Ewing, R.D., Tilley, M., Whitworth, J., Cohnstaedt, L.W. 2023. Fatal food: Silver-coated grain particles display larvicidal activity in Culex quinquefasciatus. ACS Agricultural Science and Technology. 8(37):33437-33443. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c03210.

Immigration and seasonal bottlenecks: High inbreeding despite high genetic diversity in an oscillating population of Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Shults, P.T., Cohnstaedt, L.W., Zhang, X., Gerry, A., Eyer, P., Vargo, E. 2023. Immigration and seasonal bottlenecks: High inbreeding despite high genetic diversity in an oscillating population of Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Journal of Medical Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjad068.

Comparative genetic study of the colony structure and colony spatial distribution between the higher termite Amitermes parvulus and the lower, subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes in an urban environment - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Shults, P.T., Eyer, P., Moran, M., Richardson, S., Liu, K., Blumenfeld, A., Davis, R., Vargo, E. 2023. Comparative genetic study of the colony structure and colony spatial distribution between the higher termite Amitermes parvulus and the lower, subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes in an urban environment. Insectes Sociaux. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-023-00919-2.

RT-qPCR genotyping assays for differentiating Rift Valley fever phlebovirus strains - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Balaraman, V., Gaudreault, N.N., Trujillo, J.D., Indran, S.V., Wilson, W.C., Richt, J.A. 2023. RT-qPCR genotyping assays for differentiating Rift Valley fever phlebovirus strains. Journal of Virological Methods. 315. Article 114693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jviromet.2023.114693.

Establishment of a Culex tarsalis cell line and its permissiveness to arbovirus infection - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Schirtzinger, E.E., Jasperson, D.C., Swanson, D.A., Mitzel, D.N., Drolet, B.S., Richt, J.A., Wilson, W.C. 2022. Establishment of a Culex tarsalis cell line and its permissiveness to arbovirus infection. Journal of Medical Entomology. 60(1):239-244. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjac155.

Detection of rift valley fever virus in Aedes (Aedimorphus) durbanensis, South Africa - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Van Den Bergh, C., Thompson, P.N., Swanepoel, R., Almeida, A.P., Paweska, J., Jansen Van Vuren, P., Wilson, W.C., Kemp, A., Venter, E.H. 2022. Detection of rift valley fever virus in Aedes (Aedimorphus) durbanensis, South Africa. Pathogens. 11(2):125. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11020125.